Israeli court to investigate death of 'abused' Palestinian detainee in jail

An Israeli court on Monday opened an investigation into the death of a Palestinian detainee held in an Israeli jail last month, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.

33-year-old Abdul Rahman Mirie, who is from the village of Qarawat Bani Hassan near Salfit in the West Bank, died in the Megiddo prison on 13 November, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said.

The decision to investigate his death came after an Israeli judge learned that he was severely beaten and tortured before his death, with visible traces of suffering on his body, the Palestinian Prisoners Society said.

The Israeli court asked police to provide Mirie's family lawyer and the court a forensic report into the circumstances surrounding his death by 25 December, Wafa said.

Mirie was one of the six Palestinians who have died in prison since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, according to a report by Haaretz, which added that autopsies conducted on those who died, accompanied by testimony by fellow inmates, revealed widespread abuse in Israel’s prison system.

Since 10/07, six Palestinian prisoners — two detained without charge — have died in Israeli captivity, two bearing signs of physical torture.

Remember, Israel has detained over 3000 Palestinians just in the last two months, most of them arbitrarily without charge. pic.twitter.com/KKiLQ0xHWM

— Kashif Chaudhry (@KashifMD) December 9, 2023

In its report, Haaretz gave details of four Palestinians who died in prison and two others who died in pre-trial detention facilities. 

Mirie was married and a father to four children, and was detained on 25 February. His brother, Mohammad, was previously killed by Israeli forces, according to Wafa.

Israel currently holds 2,188 sentenced Palestinian prisoners, 2,356 remand detainees and 2,873 administrative detainees without trial, according to the latest data.