What happened to tortured prisoner Samer Arbid?

Occupied West Bank (QNN)- Palestinian human rights groups called on Israeli authorities to immediately release Palestinian prisoner Samer Arbid (44 years old), who was subjected to brutal torture that endangered his life.

The Israeli army immediately tried to escape responsibility stressing that it handed Arbid over to the Shein Bet unharmed. A claim, which was proven false later on.

Arab 48 quoted lawyer Sahar Francis saying that Arbid was evacuated to hospital on Friday to get treatment. He was in critical condition because of severe torture to which he was subjected during interrogation.

Arbid was unconscious and he suffered from rib fractures in addition to bruises and traces of beatings in all parts of his body. He also suffers from severe kidney failure. Francis stated that he was evacuated to hospital without informing neither his family or his lawyer.

Francis told Arab 48 that “Arbid was arrested on Wednesday, September 25 while he and his wife were heading home. Special forces have brutally arrested him”. He was assaulted and beaten by weapons.

“They told us that Samer is denied visits by his lawyers and they extended his arrest for further five days”, she added.

“In the records of a meeting on September 26, Samer stated that he has pain in his chest and that he suffers from severe health deterioration, but the detectives did not care and extended the arrest for further eight days”, Francis revealed.

“On Saturday, were were surprised by a detective telling us that Samer was in critical condition and that he was evacuated to hospital. We headed to the hospital and Israeli Shin Bet but when we reached him he was not able to even talk and we found out that he was there since Friday. They did not allow us nor his family to visit him”.

Francis stated that the Shin Bet was given the green light to brutally torture Arbid. “Until now, we have no idea about the kind of torture and beating to which Samer was subjected, but he was surly subjected to severe torture”.

“We have submitted an application to release him because of his health situation, but it was rejected under the pretext of being under treatment and being suspected in security violation”, she added.

Francis said that torturing Samer is deemed a war crime and violation of humanitarian and international laws.

According to the Haaretz newspaper, the Shin Bet was given legal permission to employ “extraordinary measures” in its interrogation of Arbid. Such measures can include torture, sleep deprivation, shackling and subjecting prisoners to extreme temperatures.

Addamir human rights group stated that Arbid was denied lawyers visits from the very moment he was arrested. It also said that “although Arbid stated on Thursday that he has pains in his chest and that he cannot swallow and keeps vomiting, and although of obvious traces of beating on his neck, Israeli authorities ignored him and did not evacuate him to hospital”.

Addamir also stressed that “violent and illegal practices against prisoners during interrogation directly violate the international law”.