GAZA, (The Palestine Foundation Pakistan)
The Palestinian Center for Prisoners’ Rights has documented the testimony of freed detainee Khaled Barakat, who described his experience in the “Sde Teiman” detention camp as “surviving death” after 130 days of imprisonment.
In his testimony, Barakat recounted the most brutal methods of torture he and his fellow detainees were subjected to, stressing that being held under such harsh conditions was a daily nightmare.
Barakat explained that throughout his detention, he was continuously handcuffed, shackled, and blindfolded, and that he and the other prisoners faced daily attacks by police dogs that were unleashed on them randomly.
He added, “We were held in iron cages, each cage containing 130 detainees, under constant surveillance. Any spontaneous movement meant being beaten and insulted.”
He noted that the torture he endured resulted in broken ribs, both his and those of several other prisoners, yet none of them were ever examined by a doctor until the moment they were released, which caused the fractures to heal improperly.
Among the most difficult aspects, Barakat said, were the bathroom conditions. They were only allowed to use the toilet once a day at best, while many detainees had to relieve themselves while still shackled. He also mentioned the presence of surveillance cameras everywhere, and that a bucket was placed in the yard for prisoners to relieve themselves, yet it would not be emptied until its contents had spilled over into the prisoners’ rooms.
Barakat also spoke about the brutal torture during transfers between detention centers. At Ofer Prison, he was subjected to continuous beatings by soldiers, who would call out prisoners one by one to torture them with batons and sharp tools. He described the case of a diabetic detainee who was beaten so severely that his foot became infected, developed maggots, and was eventually amputated.
He added that during transport, prisoners were attacked by police dogs and shocked with electric devices inside the buses using metal handles.
Regarding living conditions in the detention camp, Barakat confirmed that the prison administration confiscated the mattresses they slept on during the winter. They also had no winter clothing, and many detainees were suffering from scabies.
He noted that the Red Cross never visited them throughout their detention. He also emphasized that death threats followed them even after their release, as soldiers repeatedly told them, “We bombed your homes and killed your families,” in ongoing intimidation.
This testimony sheds light on the scale of suffering endured by Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody, amid violations of their rights and exposure to brutal torture that contradicts even the most basic principles of human rights.
