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Utrecht protest over prisoners
Dutch activists in Utrecht staged a protest in solidarity with Palestine to demand the freedom of Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli occupation prisons, with actors mimicking what prisoners endure inside the prisons.
“Main content Search Footer Near and Middle East Francesca Albanese denounces the systematic torture used by Israel in Palestine In a new report, presented on Monday, March 23, the UN special rapporteur on the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel demonstrates the role of torture in the genocidal machinery in Palestine”
Al Jazeera quoted Dutch activist Maika saying the event aimed to draw attention to prisoners in Palestine, adding: 'There are thousands of people who have been taken prisoner in Palestine.'
The same Al Jazeera report said activists staged scenes including deprivation of water, mistreatment, forcing prisoners into a crouched, bent posture, and forcing them to chant slogans praising Israel such as 'The People of Israel Live,' as the prisoners screamed and begged for help.
Al Jazeera also reported activist Meeren saying more than 9,400 Palestinians are being held by Israel, including more than 350 children and more than 80 women, and that Palestinian prisoners are detained without trial or tried under military law.
In the protest, Meeren stressed the need to draw attention to what Palestinians are enduring and called for action, saying: 'this must stop now.'
A viral image is debunked
A photo circulating on social media was claimed to show the torture of a Palestinian detainee, but AFP’s Arabic-language fact-checking service said the image actually shows a prop used in haunted houses and Halloween celebrations.
في ميزان فرانس برس said the accompanying caption reads: 'A scene of the moment of dissolving a captured Muslim; save the prisoners from the occupation's prisons.'
The fact-checking service reported that the scenes show 'a moving doll' named Deep Fried from the company ScreamFitters, used in haunted houses and Halloween parties.
The AFP fact-checking service also tied the image’s spread to criticism directed at Israel over its treatment of Palestinian detainees since the war in Gaza, which broke out after Hamas’s unprecedented attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
It further stated that the image debunking came after a Google search and a comparison between the circulating image and a screenshot from TikTok with matching elements.
UN experts urge release
UN experts urged the release of Palestinian doctor Hussam Abu Safiya, saying his life is in danger after reports of severe torture and injuries.
“An Israeli soldier’s photo of a Palestinian man from Gaza stripped to his underwear, blindfolded and bound face-down to an iron rod corroborates extensive reporting on Israeli torture of Palestinians in detention and itself may constitute a war crime, rights groups have said”
مونت كارلو الدولية reported that the case resurfaced after Abu Safiya was detained by Israeli forces in December 2024 during Israel’s war on the Gaza Strip, and that on December 27, 2024 Israeli forces began a wide-scale raid of the only health facility remaining functioning in the north of the Gaza Strip, arresting dozens of staff including Abu Safiya.
The report said four independent UN experts stated that 'the ongoing detention of Dr. Abu Safiya is arbitrary, without charges or trial,' reflecting systematic targeting of Palestinian health workers by Israel.
It added that the experts accused Israel of aiming from behind 'the ongoing destruction of the Gaza health system' to 'impose conditions that lead to the physical and psychological destruction of the Palestinians.'
The same report said Abu Safiya’s lawyer Nasser Awda revealed the doctor was subjected to daily abuse during a rare visit, with hands and feet bound and visible injuries to the head and face, severe breathing difficulties, and near-total immobility.
