Story perspectives

UN urges Palestinian Authority to halt torture, unlawful detentions

7/26/2026

Summary

Story summary

The UN Human Rights Office urged the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to end detention, torture and ill-treatment.
Detainees held under the 1954 Crime Prevention Law—declared unconstitutional by the Palestinian Supreme Constitutional Court in 2023—report torture such as stress positions, beatings, flogging, confinement and being hung in the “shabeh” position for days.
The UN demanded investigations, accountability and a preventive mechanism to ensure humane conditions and review of detentions.

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Story summary

The UN Human Rights Office urged the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank to end detention, torture and ill-treatment.
Detainees held under the 1954 Crime Prevention Law—declared unconstitutional by the Palestinian Supreme Constitutional Court in 2023—report torture such as stress positions, beatings, flogging, confinement and being hung in the “shabeh” position for days.
The UN demanded investigations, accountability and a preventive mechanism to ensure humane conditions and review of detentions.