The Prisoners and Freed Prisoners Affairs Authority revealed today, Tuesday, dangerous escalations adopted by the occupation soldiers in dealing with detainees in the Etzion detention center, as there are new methods aimed at inflicting physical and psychological harm on them.

According to the last visit of the committee’s lawyer to the detention center, she showed that detainees are brought to the visit with their hands and feet tied and blindfolded, in addition to plastic bags covering their heads completely, and this is a reminder of the harsh interrogation scenes that were used at the beginning of the first and second intifadas.

The report described the plastic bag covering the detainee’s face, wrapping his entire head around it, tightening it and tying it back, pressing on the mouth and nose, creating difficulty in breathing. This was clear during the visit to all the detainees without exception, and they seemed to be psychologically affected by this new method of torture and humiliation.

The Commission’s lawyer explained that the detainee was brought for the visit and there was no chair for them to sit on, and the nature of their being taken to the visitation room was very terrifying, in terms of how they were transported and surrounded, in addition to many attempts to disrupt the visit, by searching the notebook that was in her possession, or by demanding that she end the visit.

The Commission's lawyer indicated in her report that all the prisoners who were visited were subjected to beating and torture, and the bruises were clearly visible on their bodies, as their rooms were subjected to four raids during the past few days without any justification for that.

It is noteworthy that the Etzion detention center is located between the governorates of Hebron and Bethlehem, and is managed and supervised by a unit of the occupation army. Today, approximately 120 prisoners are being held there, most of whom are detained or have administrative detention orders issued against them. The total number of visits by prisoners to the detention center since the resumption of visits at the end of last year has reached (916) visits.