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8 July 2014

Israeli authorities use unnecessary force to quash protest of detained asylum seekers

Around 1000 asylum seekers left Holot detention center in the Negev and marched to the Egyptian border, protesting
their indefinite detention.

Israeli authorities used unnecessary force during violent arrests of protestors camped by the Egyptian border.

756 of the protestors are currently imprisoned in Saharonim prison, some still without a hearing after nine days in
unlawful detention. Those injured complain of inadequate medical treatment

What you can do to help?


In your contacts with the Israeli authorities, we encourage you to ask for independent, full and transparent investigation
into the arrests and ensure that those found to have used unnecessary force against the protestors are brought to justice.
Please urge the authorities to ensure that protestors have access to a fair and transparent judicial process and that those
who were injured have access to adequate medical treatment. Finally, urge the Israeli government to cancel Amendment 4
of the Anti-infiltration Law, which allows for indefinite detention of asylum seekers in contradiction with Israel's
international obligations.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office is heavily involved in setting Israeli policies regarding refugees and asylum seekers. You
may also wish to discuss this issue with your relevant contacts at the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and
Internal Security.
***
On Friday 27 June 2014, about 1,000 asylum seekers left Holot detention center and began marching towards the IsraeliEgyptian border. Many of them were carrying luggage and money. They were quickly stopped by IDF forces and
subsequently camped a few hundred meters back at 'Nitzana Forest'.
Under Amendment 4 of the Anti-Infiltration Law, asylum seekers are detained indefinitely in Holot. Their only way out of
detention is to agree to be "voluntarily" repatriated to Sudan or Eritrea, or to a third country such as Uganda or Rwanda.
Such de facto deportations are in violation of the principle of non-refoulement and are unlawful with regard to
international standards, whether or not they are conducted under bilateral transfer agreements.
One of the asylum seekers on the march told an Amnesty International Israel (AII) observant: "We have been in Israel for
6 years and asked for asylum. No one has examined our claims. People have now been in Holot for 6 or 7 months.
Conditions there are very bad. A lot of people suffer from depression and are unable to cope. We know that the Israeli
government calls it an open facility. But it is a prison. We cannot take it any longer."
On Sunday, 29 June 2014, around 18:00, hundreds of security forces, including Israeli Border Police and other police
forces, accompanied by immigration authorities, arrived at the scene and surrounded the protestors. Some police were on
horseback and forces were equipped with a water cannon. Yossi Edelstein, Director of the Population Administration's
Foreign Workers' Enforcement Unit (part of the Ministry of Interior), was present. The police officer in charge publicly
announced to the protestors that if they were to willingly evacuate the premises, no violence would be used against them.
At 19:15, security forces began the evacuation. An AII observer reported that evacuating forces dragged protestors on the
ground, and used unnecessary force against at least half of them, including punches and kicks to various parts of the body.
One of the asylum seekers later told Hotline for Refugees and Migrants (HRM) from Saharonim prison: "When we were in
Nitzana, [] we agreed that regardless of what the police do to us, we would not be violent. When the police came to
take me [] I only said "we are not going from here". Maybe because I am big and tall, a few policemen or
[Immigration] inspectors attacked me [] four Ethiopian policemen [of Ethiopian descent] hit me and three others
who were not Ethiopian [] they threw me on the ground and pushed my head to the ground with their legs. One of
the Ethiopian policemen called me wsha, which means dog in Amharic. I now suffer from severe pain to the neck,
both sides [of the body] and my arm. I want to see a doctor and receive pain killers."

Please see p.3 for more testimonies.


According to information gathered by Physicians for Human Rights-Israel (PHR), a total of eight asylum seekers required
medical treatment during and following the arrests. Three were subsequently transferred to Soroka Hospital in B'eer
Sheva: one with an injured knee, one with diabetes-related symptoms and a third person suffering from breathing
difficulties. Of the five others (two who fainted, one with a broken finger, and two with pain in the stomach), three were
transferred to Holot and two to Saharonim.
A total of 756 protestors were taken to the Saharonim. HRM has been in regular contact with many of the detainees. Under
Amendment 4 of the Anti-Infiltration Law, detainees should undergo a hearing in Holot prior to their imprisonment in
Saharonim. However, protestors were taken directly to Saharonim and some of them are still waiting for their hearing,
nine days after the arrests. . Those who have undergone a hearing received a three-month sentence, with some sentenced
to six months in prison.
This is not the first time that the Israeli authorities use unnecessary force against protesting asylum seekers. On 17
December 2013, the Israeli authorities violently arrested around 200 asylum seekers who marched to Jerusalem shortly
after the introduction of the current legislation. Two days later, 75 asylum seekers who left Holot were violently stopped
by Immigration authorities
Relevant International standards
According to the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, officials must apply
non-violent means before resorting to the use of force which should be used only when non-violent means have proven to
be, or are likely not to be, effective. 1 If the use of force is unavoidable, they must always exercise restraint in its use. 2 The
use of any force by law enforcement should be strictly limited to those situations where it is absolutely necessary and
strictly proportional to the legitimate aim pursued and to minimize damage and injury.
Israel has ratified the 1951 UN Refugee Convention and its 1967 Optional Protocol as well as the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights. Under these and additional international obligations, Israel is required to individually assess
claims for international protection in a fair and transparent manner and provide asylum for those deserving of such status.
Detention should only be used as a last resort; all individuals detained must undergo an individualized assessment
justifying their detention and adhering to standards of necessity and proportionality.
Footage from the arrests:
http://news.walla.co.il/?w=%2F1%2F2759624
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32KjNCruNhY#t=25
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eZiwXkIP9aw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4Ioe6ydkqw
For more information:
Sigal Rozen, Public Policy Coordinator, HRM, sigal@hotline.org.il or +972-54-8177845
Adi Drori-Avraham, Refugee Campaigner, AII, adi@amnesty.org.il or +972-50-2717238
Elisheva Milikowsky, Refugees and Migrants Department, PHR, elisheva@phr.org.il or +972507519558

UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, Eighth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the
Treatment of Offenders, Havana, 27 August to 7 September 1990, UN Doc. A/CONF.144/28/Rev.1 at 112 (1990), General Provision 4.
2

UN Basic Principles, General Provision 5.

Testimonies collected by HRM from asylum seekers detained Saharonim prison following arrests
T.H., asylum seeker from Eritrea: "When the police started using force, four officers approached me. They managed to
put me under their control and they asked me to go to the bus. I refused to do so, I told them I did not come here to return
back. Then two of them held my legs and the other two held my hands and they started carrying me by force to the bus. I
tried to hold myself to a big rock there so that they will not manage to carry me. Two more policemen came and separated
me from the rock that I was holding on to. They pushed me to the ground and sat on me, forcing their knees to my stomach
and holding my legs and hands strongly. They chained my hands. Then they started beating me very badly. They punched
my forehead, my nose and my eye and they smashed my face with their knee. Two other officers strongly kicked my
stomach with their legs. Today, four days after the attack, I still have scars on my stomach, eye, and my hands. I also have a
severe pain in my ribs on both sides. Then they took me to the bus. On the bus, one of the immigration officers slapped my
face badly. Thanks to the people on the bus I was saved since they were shouting at him to stop beating me. My nose was
badly bleeding there. I believe some of my ribs are broken and asked to be taken to get an x-ray. I did not receive medical
treatment except pain killers."
M.M.A., asylum seeker from Eritrea: "I was transferred from Saharonim to Holot on 8 July 2014 [] I was desperate to
take the action because I suffered from being in prison for so long. I didnt see any difference between Holot and
Saharonim [] On Sunday evening, a large number of policemen and immigration authority officers came and encircled us
[] We refused to go back to Holot since we did not trust the immigration authority [] I saw by my eye many people
become a victim to four or five police officers. Especially they beat people very badly when it became dark and there were
no cameras around [] I joined the protest because I became desperate after such a long time in prison. Up until now, six
days after my unlawful detention, I have had no hearing by the immigration authority or the judge."
S.K., asylum seeker from Eritrea: "I went to Holot on May 2014 by myself, two months after the date the Immigration
Authority summoned me. After an interview conducted by an immigration clerk, he sentenced me to one month
imprisonment in Saharonim. When I finish my sentence in Saharonim, I was transferred to Holot. I didnt see any clear
difference between these two places, they are both prison centers. It was because of that that I participated in all the
protests that we conducted inside and outside holot. On June 27, 2014 I participated, with other protestors, in a march to
the border of Egypt and Israel. [] On Sunday evening, June 29th, [during the arrests] four policemen came to me, held me
by my legs and hands. One policeman slapped me on my face and a lot of blood started running from my nose. Then they
dragged me to the bus [] We were all taken to Saharonim prison. I was interviewed by the immigration authority officer
and was sentenced to 90 days in Saharonim, starting June 30."
M.T., asylum seeker from Eritrea: "On Sunday around 6pm we were encircled by police and immigration officers. They
had horses, water cannon trucks, many cars and above seven buses. One of the officers told us by megaphone that we had
five minutes to go peacefully to the buses. We told them that we had questions that need to be addressed, so we requested
them to give us time and a responsible person who could answer our demand. They refused to listen to us and they started
to take people by force [] It became difficult for us to stay strong when they started to spray our eyes [] Even though I
was not beaten I saw the police attacking people, kicking and punching them. Especially after it became dark or in places
where there were no cameras, they beat many people very badly. I saw people becoming unconscious falling on the ground
and taken to the ambulance."

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