Torture
Ban Argued in
Israel MARK LAVIE Associated Press
Writer JERUSALEM (AP) -- In a
landmark case before Israel's Supreme
Court, human rights lawyers argued
Wednesday that torture of Palestinian
suspects is illegal and should be banned,
but admitted that there are cases in which
physical abuse might be acceptable.
Arguing for an injunction against
interrogation tactics by Shin Bet security
service on suspected Palestinian
militants, human rights lawyer Lea
Tsemel told the court of Palestinian
clients who had been severely beaten, tied
to chairs and walls, deprived of sleep and
then released without being charged. "I believe the court must make a clear
decision that these things are absolutely
forbidden," she told the nine-judge panel.
Tsemel charged that interrogators try
to hide their damage. She showed the court
a pair of red and white elastic wrist
bands, usually worn by athletes. She said
the Shin Bet uses them to cover up their
practice of clamping handcuffs so tight
that they cause bleeding and swelling. "First they put these on, then the
handcuffs," she said, handing the bands to
the state's attorney, Shai
Nitzan. The Shin Bet received approval for some
of its tactics in 1987, when a government
commission permitted "moderate physical
pressure" as a means of extracting vital
information from suspects. The court has upheld that decision
successively in appeals brought by
individuals who sought injunctions against
their interrogators. The case before
Israel's highest court Wednesday was the
first time the judges were to consider
Israel's overall policy of using physical
force. The court did not say when they would
issue a decision on the continued use of
the tactics. | 
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to David Irving