Abu Hummos discusses the latest developments on detainees’ cause with Pertron Lamon

March 17, 2020

The head of the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs, Raed Abu Hummos, received the director of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) offices in the West Bank and Jerusalem, Pertron Lamon, on Monday morning, to discuss the latest developments related to the living conditions of detainees held in Israeli prisons and the detainees released by the exchange deal.

Abu Hummos confirmed that the general conditions in prisons still difficult and complicated. He warned that the escalating Israeli measures against male and female detainees pose a real threat to their lives.
Prison guards have crossed the lines in dealing with detainees, in terms of beating, insult, starvation and torture.

Regarding detainees released in the exchange deal, Abu Hummos called on the ICRC to fulfill its obligations and stressed that its presence in the occupied territories and the nature if its work require taking a bold step to monitor the actions of the occupation authorities and document their violations in official reports.

Abu Hummos criticized the ICRC for refraining from issuing release certificates for detainees who were released by the exchange deal, which contradicts the organization’s objectivity and independence, as the pretext of not receiving official lists from the occupation authorities of the release date is not acceptable. He pointed out that the exchange deal process was conducted under the ICRC supervision, and detainees were medically examined by their teams. Thus, this is sufficient for the ICRC to fulfill its obligations and issue release certificates without permission or instructions from the occupation authorities.
Abu Hummos stressed on the deep faith in partnership and collaboration with the ICRC, which must be based on humanitarian and ethical principles. He demonstrated that the first stage of the exchange deal reflected a successful working relationship between both sides.