The Israeli Supreme Court met to reconsider the closure of the Sde Teiman prison, where Israeli soldiers are accused of torturing Palestinian detainees. This follows a new video showing a sexual assault on a Palestinian prisoner.
The issue surfaced in late July when Israeli military police arrested 10 soldiers from Sde Teiman on suspicion of sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee; five of them also face torture charges.”
A doctor who reported the assault said last week that the detainee appears to have endured severe sexual abuse. The detainee had broken ribs, signs of beating, and evidence of sodomy, which resulted in a tear in the lower intestines. Emergency surgery was required after the attack.
Sde Teiman is the prison where Palestinians from Gaza are held, and by law, they can be detained there for over a month without charge.
The Israeli organization advocating for the closure of the prison, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, has reported that detainees are subjected to severe violence, including dog attacks and sexual assault. They are forced to sit on the ground with blindfolds and handcuffs 24/7, are prohibited from moving or speaking, and rarely have the opportunity to shower or change clothes. Similar conditions are detailed in a CNN report.
The arrests have elicited reactions from far-right citizens and government members who support the abuse of Palestinian detainees, with at least two ministers calling for their dismissal