Israel: Position paper on solitary confinement

June 27, 2011

At the occasion of the UN International Day Against Torture (26 June), Physicians for Human Rights-Israel and two other organisations published a position paper on solitary confinement in Israeli prisons.

According to PHR-Israel, Adalah and Al Mezan, all types of solitary confinement in prison should end, given its severe impact on the physical and psychological health of prisoners. “Solitary confinement constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment and thus violates the International Covenant Against Torture (CAT) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR),” the report states. “The Israel Medical Association and Ministry of Health should strongly oppose its use as a method of imprisonment.” The report also urges physicians who examine and treat prisoners held in solitary confinement to demand an end to their isolation in every case, not only in cases in which they specifically detect harm to the prisoner’s health.

Download report (PDF)