Torture widespread in Palestinian jails

[Vegasaurus]

RAMALLAH, West Bank - One detainee told of being beaten with pipes and having a screwdriver rammed into his back. Another said interrogators tied his hands behind his back then lifted him into the air by his bound wrists.

Two human rights groups on Monday decried widespread torture of political opponents by bitter Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah, and Associated Press interviews with three victims and a doctor backed the reports of abuse.

The Palestinian human rights group Al Haq said Monday that arbitrary arrests of political opponents have been common since Hamas' takeover of Gaza, with each side trying to defend its turf.

"Arrests for political reasons haven't stopped for a second," Al Haq director Shawan Jabarin told reporters. He estimated that before the latest sweeps, more than 1,000 people had been seized by each side.

An estimated 20 to 30 percent of the detainees suffered torture, including severe beatings and being tied up in painful positions, said Jabarin, citing sworn statements from 150 detainees.

He said three died in detention in Gaza and one in the West Bank.

"The use of torture is dramatically up," added Fred Abrahams, a senior researcher for Human Rights Watch, a U.S.-based group that is releasing its own report on abuse this week.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080728/ap_on_re_mi_ea/palestinians_torture;_ylt=AvMXnIFIsNDAr7rycmz3dC1vaA8F

Will any "progressives" get upset about this prisoner abuse and torture, or will it be excused, because it is Muslim on Muslim, as a good amount of the worldwide violence is (including four female suicide bombers in Iraq today, killing 50+ people)?

I hope to see some outrage by the very people who would be screaming if this were an Israeli or American detainment center being discussed.