Israel military court confirms administrative detention order for activists

An Israeli military court has confirmed six-month administrative detention orders for two Palestinian activists detained in the West Bank three months ago.

According to Addameer, Ofer Israeli military court confirmed the orders yesterday which were issued in late October by the occupation’s military commander for the West Bank.

The two activists in question, Haitham Siaj and Saif Al-Idresi, were arrested on 11 September and subjected to weeks of “long and harsh interrogation at Al-Mascobiyya interrogation centre”, stated the Palestinian prisoners’ rights group.

“During interrogation, Saif and Haitham experienced torture and ill-treatment which included long interrogation sessions, deprivation of sleep and food, stress positions and threats,” Addameer said.

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“The interrogators used all means to pressure both prisoners; they brought Haitham’s mother to the interrogation centre to pressure him.”

Addameer added that the issuance of the orders for Al-Idresi and Siaj” is further “evidence that the policy of administrative detention is used when there are no charges found”.

Israeli occupation authorities routinely subject Palestinian prisoners to detention without charge or trial based on secret “evidence”, a tactic used to target activists, students, politicians and others.

Both Haitham and Saif are former prisoners in Israeli jails and have also been previously detained by the Palestinian Authority.