The Israeli authorities have detained 297 Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territory during the month of August 2020, 12 of whom were children, 10 of whom were women, according to the Prisoners’ and Human Rights Institutions (Prisoners Affairs Authority and Ex-Prisoners Club, Addameer Prisoner Care and Human Rights Association, and Wadi Hilweh Information Center – Silwanic).
A fact sheet issued Sunday, reveals the demographic of Palestinian detainees, showing that a third of the 297 detainees were from occupied Jerusalem;
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Jerusalem – 103
Hebron – 42
Jenin – 40
Ramallah and Al-Bireh – 33
Bethlehem – 23
Tulkarem – 20
Qalqilia – 11
Nablus – 10
Jericho – 8
Tubas – 4
Salfit – 2
Gaza – 1
The Palestinian prisoner population in Israeli prisons, during August of 2020, reached nearly 4,500 prisoners, 41 of whom were female, 140 of whom were children, while 340 administrative detainees remain. 34 new Administrative Detention orders were issued, while 38 orders were extended, with a total of 72 Administrative Detention orders being issued against Palestinians.
Administrative detention (AD) is a procedure that allows Israeli occupation forces to hold prisoners indefinitely on secret information without charging them or allowing them to stand trial. The secret information or evidence cannot be accessed by the detainee nor his lawyer, and can according to Israeli military orders, an administrative detention order can be renewed for an unlimited time. The court issues an administrative detention order for a maximum period of six months, subject to renewal. In practice, Israel routinely uses administrative detention in violation of the strict parameters established by international law. Tellingly, Israel has claimed to be under a continuous state of emergency sufficient to justify the use of administrative detention since its inception in 1948. In addition, administrative detention is frequently used – in direct contravention to international law – for collective and criminal punishment rather than for the prevention of future threat. For example, administrative detention orders are regularly issued against individuals suspected of committing an offense after an unsuccessful criminal investigation or a failure to obtain a confession in interrogation. Addameer – Prisoner Support and Human Rights Organization
