GENEVA, (PIC)
The UN Special Rapporteur on Torture and Cruelty, Alice Jill Edwards, has called for accelerated investigations into the martyrdoms of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Edwards strongly criticized the maltreatment of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli occupation prisons since October 7, 2023.
Speaking to Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of her participation in the 58th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Edwards emphasized that many of the Palestinian prisoners who were released as part of the exchange agreement were held in very difficult conditions, and that some of them were arbitrarily detained.
She also noted that some of the prisoners appeared in poor health, calling for independent and impartial investigations into charges of torture and ill-treatment.
Edwards said, “The last figure I heard for the number of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails was around 10,500 before the exchanges. “Of course, some were released after investigations were closed or there were insufficient grounds for their continued detention.
The UN rapporteur emphasized the need to accelerate investigations into the martyrdom of dozens of prisoners inside Israeli occupation prisons, stressing that achieving justice requires a high level of impartiality and independence.
She pointed out that international bodies, including the International Committee of the Red Cross, have the ability to access prisoners and make independent assessments to hold the Israeli occupation government accountable.
Edwards warned that torture and ill-treatment are an obstacle to achieving peace, especially in the Middle East. She called on negotiators to move swiftly to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and push both sides toward a genuine reconciliation process.
“I call with all my good intentions to end this conflict and occupation in the region and open a new page of coexistence and peace,” she said.
Edwards expressed her hope that the ceasefire will hold and called on Israel to allow humanitarian access to Gaza, emphasizing that this is a basic human right.
“What we really want to see in this region is peace, where Palestinians and Israelis live in security and stability and have the right to self-determination,” she said.
