UUN Human Rights office calls on Israel and Palestine to release detainees

(Vatican Radio)  The office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (UNHCR) has welcomed the recent release of Khader Adnan who had been on hunger strike for two months in protest at his continuing administrative detention by the Israeli authorities since last year.

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The UN rights office has called on both Israel and Palestine to release people detained without trial. It reiterated a call, made in April, on Israel to end its practice of administrative detention and to release without delay or to promptly charge all administrative detainees.

UNHCHR spokesman Rupert Colville said, “At the end of March, there were just under 400 Palestinians reportedly held in administrative detention in Israel Prison Service facilities.  Administrative detainees are held without charge or trial, often on the basis of secret evidence, for periods of up to six months, which are extendable indefinitely. The UN Human Rights Office and the Human Rights Committee have condemned this practice.”

Colville noted with concern that on June 14, the Israeli cabinet approved a bill that would permit the force-feeding of Palestinian hunger-striking prisoners.  He said: “We are also seriously concerned at the situation of another Palestinian hunger striker, this time being detained by the Palestinian authorities. Islam Hasan Jameel Hamed has been protesting since 11 April 2015 at his continued detention by the Palestinian General Intelligence Services.”

The UN rights office urged the Palestinian authorities to respect the court ruling and release Islam Hamed.