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Last update - 00:00 13/04/2008
Shin Bet admits using relatives to pressure jailed Palestinians
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Shin Bet, Palestinian, Israel

The Shin Bet security services on Sunday admitted to arresting relatives of individuals under interrogation to extract confessions from the prisoners.

The head of the Shin Bet's interrogration department told the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee: "Certainly we used this method, but only on one occasion.

The admission was in a response to a report submitted to the committee on Sunday by the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel. The group alleged in its report that the Shin Bet makes unjustified arrests of family members, or creates the pretense of such arrests to pressure suspects.
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The report further states that such methods are used against individuals who are already subjected to severe physical torture. In at least one case, the report states that the pressure led to suicide attempts by the individual under interrogation.

The committee centered its debate Sunday on how frequently the Shin Bet resorted to this method, and in what way it was carried out.

The Shin Bet official said that regarding the incident in question, the security services had not needed to use the arrest method, adding: "We said we erred, learned a lesson... I've said this, we've written this, and we've also fixed it."

Shin Bet representatives added that following the incident, the body decided to stop the practice of arresting innocents to exert pressure on the suspect.

The representatives said, however, that they would not hesistate to arrest a relative suspected of involvement in the terror crime.

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  • Report accuses Shin Bet, police of severely torturing Palestinian suspects
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    Humanitarian initiative
    There is a way for Israel to prove it is committed to universal moral values.
    Top Targets
    An Islamist site is compiling a list of U.K. Jews to target over Gaza op.
      1.   This is a very effective method practiced throughout Arab World 21:45  |  Genuine Tosefta 13/04/08
      2.   The G rated peephole 23:16  |  Joe 13/04/08
      3.   whats wrong with it?? 00:51  |  vik 14/04/08
      4.   isn`t israel tired after 60 years 01:04  |  sam i am 14/04/08
      5.   this is theugly face of the so claimed only democracy in the ME, 02:43  |  Zaki 14/04/08
      6.   Once upon a time... 03:14  |  jjvanka 14/04/08
      7.   To Number 1 03:17  |  Abe 14/04/08
      8.   What is at stake 03:36  |  Albert 14/04/08
      9.   #3 Vik can`t see anything wrong with it..... 03:45  |  Johnboy 14/04/08
      10.   #1 This is hostage-taking, Genuine Tosefta 03:52  |  Johnboy 14/04/08
      11.   #5 Zaki 04:29  |  Moshe 14/04/08
      12.   Arrogant 05:40  |  Jared 14/04/08
      13.   Johnboy -- terrorists and their supports have no right to protect 06:13  |  vik 14/04/08
      14.   Newsflash: Police already do this worldwide 06:52  |  Gili 14/04/08
      15.   It`s Called Moral Relativism 08:23  |  Yosemite 14/04/08
      16.   The tipping point - Gili 09:33  |  sh 14/04/08
      17.   #13 (2nd try) vik needs to think again 10:49  |  Johnboy 14/04/08
      18.   The shin bet taking pics of student activists 10:49  |  Ivan 14/04/08
      19.   #8 Albert NO! the survival of Jews is NOT 10:55  |  spyguy 14/04/08
      20.   i really believe what`s being said? NOT! 11:32  |  eric 14/04/08
      21.   Gili (14) 15:35  |  jjvanka 14/04/08
      22.   Suspects sometimes not even relevant 20:53  |  Woody 14/04/08
      23.   Genuine Tosefta ~#1 01:13  |  Gisele from Beirut 15/04/08
      24.   We in the Muslim world never, ever do this !!! 07:24  |  Fortuna Benmayor 15/04/08
      25.   #23 Fortuna sees a difference..... 11:06  |  Johnboy 15/04/08
      26.   Simplistic understanding... 21:10  |  Yonatan 16/04/08
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