Systematic Torture in Israeli Detention Facilities: A Call for Global Human Rights Solidarity

 The People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights (PVCHR) has received a communication from the Embassy of the State of Palestine to the Republic of India drawing urgent attention to grave human rights violations committed against Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and detention facilities. The letter encloses findings from a recently released report by the Israeli human rights organization B’Tselem titled “Living Hell – The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps” (January 2026).

The contents of this report raise serious concerns for the global human rights community. Based on extensive documentation, survivor testimonies, medical evidence, and official Israeli data, the report concludes that Israeli detention facilities have, since October 2023, been transformed into a coordinated system of torture camps targeting Palestinian detainees.

Findings of Grave Concern

According to the report, at least 84 identified Palestinians, including a minor, have died in Israeli custody. Many of these deaths are attributed to torture, starvation, denial of medical care, and extreme neglect. The documented methods of abuse include electric shocks, stress positions, prolonged shackling, severe beatings, psychological humiliation, and widespread sexual violence, including rape and forced penetration.

These violations are not described as isolated or exceptional incidents. Rather, they point to a systematic pattern of abuse carried out openly and, alarmingly, with public endorsement by Israeli officials. Such practices meet the legal definitions of torture and crimes against humanity under international law.

Arbitrary Detention and Denial of Due Process

The report further highlights the mass incarceration of Palestinians without charge or trial. More than 3,500 Palestinians are currently held under administrative detention, alongside hundreds of minors and thousands of civilians from Gaza classified as “unlawful combatants.” This designation effectively removes detainees from the protections of international humanitarian and human rights law.

Family visits have been entirely suspended, depriving detainees of contact with their loved ones. Lawyers face systematic obstruction in accessing their clients, undermining the right to legal defense. Additionally, access by the International Committee of the Red Cross has reportedly been denied, placing detainees beyond independent monitoring and oversight.

The deliberate denial of transparency and accountability exacerbates the risk of further abuse and reinforces a culture of impunity.

Implications for International Human Rights Norms

The normalization of torture and institutionalized cruelty sets a dangerous global precedent. When grave violations of international law are tolerated or ignored, the universality of human rights is fundamentally undermined. Torture cannot be justified under any circumstances—whether in the name of security, conflict, or political expediency.

India’s human rights movement has a long and principled history of opposing colonial violence, arbitrary detention, and institutional brutality. This legacy obliges Indian civil society and human rights organizations to speak out consistently against such violations, regardless of where they occur or who the victims are.

PVCHR’s Commitment to Universal Human Rights

As an organization committed to defending the dignity and rights of marginalized and oppressed communities, People’s Vigilance Committee on Human Rights reaffirms its belief in the universality and indivisibility of human rights. Human rights lose their meaning when applied selectively. Silence in the face of torture erodes the moral foundations of justice.

In the spirit of global solidarity and shared responsibility, PVCHR echoes the call made by the Embassy of the State of Palestine urging Indian human rights organizations and civil society to:

• Publicly acknowledge and disseminate the findings of credible human rights reports

• Raise these concerns within national and international human rights forums

• Express solidarity with Palestinian prisoners and their families

• Defend the universality of human rights irrespective of nationality, religion, or political context

A Call to Conscience and Action

The suffering documented in Israeli detention facilities demands more than sympathy. It calls for moral clarity, principled advocacy, and collective action. Upholding human rights requires consistency, courage, and the willingness to challenge injustice wherever it occurs.

PVCHR stands in solidarity with all victims of torture and arbitrary detention and reiterates its commitment to working with national and international partners to defend human dignity, accountability, and justice.

Human rights cannot be conditional. They must be defended for all—or they cease to exist at all.