«Israel» Seeks to Keep Suspect Interrogations Off-Record

Local Editor

The "Israeli" apartheid regime's Knesset had preliminarily approved a bill which would exempt security forces from having to record the interrogations of Palestinian suspects. The regime alleged the move will help to counter terrorism, while critics fear possible human rights violations.

"Israeli" lawmakers approved the bill in its first reading on Monday, Haaretz reported.

Currently, all interrogations in the apartheid entity must be recorded, but several years ago the Knesset suspended the rule for what they called "terrorism-related cases".

The new bill basically aims to turn the temporary legislation into a permanent law, exempting the "Israeli" regime's police and "Shin Bet" security service from being obliged to record the interrogation process.

The bill was supported both by the ruling coalition and most of the opposition. Only lawmakers from the Arab Joint List faction did not support it.

Critics of the new legislation said that it would effectively "give [the] security interrogator total immunity," and undermine the very basic principles of lawful investigations.

"This bill would give every security interrogator total immunity to do whatever he pleases, and nobody will know how much force he uses or what he does to the suspect," Haaretz quoted MK Aida Touma-Suliman as saying.

"This is a crime not only against international law, but also against basic morality, which says that people suspected of security offenses have basic rights that must be upheld," Suliman continued.

Critics believe that the bill is aimed only at burying any crimes conducted by "Israeli" investigators.

"This bill serves one purpose and one only - concealing crimes knowingly committed during these interrogations by the police and the Shin Bet, with encouragement from the political leadership," Haaretz quoted MK Jamal Zahalka as saying. "If there's nothing to hide, why hide it?"

"Israeli" politicians backing the proposed legislation believe that the bill would protect both interrogators and suspects who are cooperating with the authorities.

The entity's security forces had faced numerous accusations over the past years of employing excessive force, mainly against Palestinians, and rather questionable interrogation methods, which include threats, "prolonged painful shackling" and others.

Suspects, detained by "Israeli" military and security forces, stay locked up without charges for months. A report released by the Knesset in December 2015 showed that over the past ten years, the "Israeli" entity had resorted to the so-called "administrative detention" almost 3,800 times, but only 252 of those held were eventually indicted.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team