The Al Mezan Center for Human Rights which represents Palestinian Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the former director of Gaza’s Kamal Adwan Hospital—held, tortured and starved in Israeli prisons since Dec. 27—reported this morning that on orders of the Commander of the Southern Command of the Israeli army, Dr. Abu Safiya is now being detained under the “Unlawful Combatant Law,” without a trial or any charges filed against him.
The Center explains that “this law enables prolonged detention without charges, stripping detainees of any meaningful judicial review or due process rights. Under the current amendments, detainees must wait 45 days for the Be’er Sheva District Court to ratify the detention order. Once ratified, detention lasts six months, with the possibility of indefinite extensions.” Thousands of Palestinians are now detained under this law, the Center adds.
Just three days before, the doctor’s family had reported that he was being allowed only one meal a day, but that he had sent a message urging everyone around the world “to help secure his release and the release of all detained healthcare personnel from all hospitals.”
