HRW accuses Palestinian Authority of torturing critics of the authorities

NEW YORK, (Patria) - The Palestinian Authority in the occupied West Bank and the rival Hamas in the Gaza Strip regularly detain and torture critics and dissidents, warned Human Rights Watch, Al Jazeera reports.

Both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas reject these findings as "biased" and inaccurate.

Both arbitrarily detain Palestinians for criticizing the authorities, especially on social media, among independent journalists, on university campuses, and at demonstrations, according to the report by the New York-based human rights organization.

Using techniques that HRW says are similar to those Israel used against Palestinians, security forces routinely "insult, threaten, beat, and force detainees to remain in painful stress positions for hours."

The Palestinian Authority has limited self-governance in parts of the occupied West Bank based on the 1990s Oslo Accords.

Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005 but maintains the territory under a land, sea, and air blockade.

The Hamas movement forcibly took power in Gaza in 2007, defeating forces loyal to the more moderate rival Fatah, which continues to dominate the West Bank.

The HRW document lists 86 cases of abuse, mostly from 2016 and 2017.

Systematic arbitrary detention and torture violate human rights agreements that Palestine, a non-member state of the United Nations, has signed.

The HRW report states that the torture of detainees could constitute a crime against humanity.

In letters to the human rights organization, both the Palestinian Authority and Hamas denied the accusations and pointed out that legal remedies exist for detainees who complain.

However, no security official has been held accountable for torture, HRW states.

Brigadier General Adnan Dameri, spokesperson for the Palestinian Authority's security forces in the West Bank, told Al Jazeera that the HRW report is full of misinformation and is highly biased.

"No one from HRW contacted us to get accurate information from us about the incidents they claim constitute human rights violations. The State of Palestine is a signatory to all international laws and conventions that prohibit human rights violations and torture and is committed to implementing them," he stated.

Dameri admits that human rights violations may have occurred, but they were not "systematic," nor were they carried out by the Government.

"Abuses have occurred, but they were committed by individuals, 'on their own,' and not based on state policy. We are not Switzerland, but we are doing everything to respect our laws and protect human rights. People here constantly criticize the government; we do not arrest them for that, unless it is a crime like hate speech, and there must be a warrant for that," he stated.

Iyad al-Bozom, spokesperson for Hamas's Palestinian Ministry of Interior and Security Forces in Gaza, told Al Jazeera that he received an inquiry from HRW in March, seeking details of alleged human rights violations committed by members of Hamas's police organization.

Bozom emphasized that the Gaza police are committed to upholding Palestinian laws that protect human rights. He also admitted that individuals committed offenses "on their own," but not on the orders of the authorities.