Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK)

AOHR (UK) condemns systematic rape and sexual torture of Palestinians in Israeli Prisons

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A view of Ofer Prison located between Ramallah and Jerusalem as preparations for the release of Palestinian prisoners continue, on February 15, 2025 [Issam Rimawi – Anadolu Agency ]

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) issued a statement on Thursday condemning the crimes committed by the Israeli occupation authorities against Palestinian prisoners. It said the brutality of the crimes have reached unprecedented levels.  The statement comes in the wake of a stream of documented testimonies revealing systematic rape and sexual torture in Israeli prisons and detention centres, all in flagrant violation of all international norms and conventions, and constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The AOHR UK statement affirmed that “the victims’ testimonies provide irrefutable evidence that these atrocities are not single incidents but part of a deliberate, institutional policy implemented under orders from senior officials within Israel’s security and military establishment.” It added that the aim of the policy was the physical and psychological destruction of Palestinian detainees.

AOHR UK stressed that the testimonies from released prisoners, women, children, and men, contained harrowing accounts of rape inside interrogation facilities, the use of objects and solid instruments in assaults, and the involvement of trained police dogs in acts of sexual violence. Victims also described being filmed during assaults for the purposes of humiliation and blackmail.

One released female prisoner recounted being raped repeatedly, filmed, and threatened with the release of the footage; another detainee described being raped by a police dog inside Sde Teiman detention centre, while another was assaulted with a wooden stick and later forced to lick it. Others also spoke of being raped with bottles or subjected to group assaults, some of which resulted in the victims’ deaths.

READ: Rights group reports “unprecedented violations” against thousands of Palestinian prisoners since exchange deal

AOHR UK highlighted the disturbing absence of moral outrage within Israeli society regarding these atrocities. The leaked footage from Sde Teiman showing soldiers raping a Palestinian detainee exposed the depth of moral decay within Israel’s institutions. Public discussion focused not on the horror of the crime but on how the footage had been leaked. Instead of condemning and prosecuting the perpetrators, Israeli authorities pursued the whistleblower, while the soldiers involved received sympathy and support from broad sectors of Israeli society, which reflects a serious moral and societal complicity in war crimes.

The AOHR UK warned that continued international silence over rape and sexual torture, now coupled with the legalisation of executions, entrenches Israel’s bloody course and normalises such crimes under a regime of total impunity.

It called for the establishment of a specialised committee including doctors and social workers to support victims and encourage all survivors of torture, especially sexual violence, to testify despite the threats they have received from the occupation. AOHR UK also urged the formation of an independent international commission of inquiry into rape and sexual violence in Israeli prisons, with all evidence submitted to the International Criminal Court as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The AOHR UK called on states party to the Geneva Conventions and the Convention Against Torture to uphold their legal obligations by pursuing the perpetrators wherever they may be and by taking decisive action to save more than 9,000 prisoners enduring horrifying forms of torture daily.

It also called on international media institutions, many of which habitually echo Israeli propaganda, to demonstrate basic standards of professionalism and humanity by treating victims’ testimonies as human, not political, accounts, and by giving them due prominence in global discourse. 

READ: Autistic Palestinian boy allegedly sexually assaulted in Israeli prison

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Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Orcas discuss Genocide-supporting and complicit Zionists. Donald Trump, Keith Starmer, David Lammy, Rachel Reeves, Angela Rayner and Wes Streeting are acknowledged as evil genocide-complicit and supporting cnuts.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities, mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Experiencing issues with this image not appearing. I suspect because it's so critical of Zionist Keir Starmer's support of and complicity in Israel's genocides.
Genocide denier and Current UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is quoted that he supports Zionism without qualification. He also confirms that UK air force support has been essential in Israel’s mass-murdering genocide. Includes URLs https://www.declassifieduk.org/keir-starmers-100-spy-flights-over-gaza-in-support-of-israel/ and https://youtu.be/O74hZCKKdpA
Continue ReadingAOHR (UK) condemns systematic rape and sexual torture of Palestinians in Israeli Prisons

Rights group calls for dismissal of the ICJ Vice-President

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Vice President of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), Justice Julia Sebutinde.[Photo/monitor.co.ug]

The Arab Organisation for Human Rights in the UK (AOHR UK) has written to the judges of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), calling for the removal of Ugandan Judge Julia Sebutinde, Vice-President of the Court. The letter pointed out that Sebutinde had breached Articles 2 and 18 of the Court’s Statute when she openly revealed her ideological bias in favour of Israel, despite the ongoing genocide being committed against the Palestinian people in Gaza and across the occupied Palestinian territories.

Article 2 of the Court’s Statute obliges judges to display integrity, impartiality, and independence. Should any of these conditions be breached, Article 18 provides that the judge concerned must be removed with the consent of the other Members of the Court.

The AOHR UK added that Judge Sebutinde has not only abandoned impartiality and integrity but has also expressed messianic religious ideas that encourage the perpetuation of the crime of genocide, which has already claimed tens of thousands of victims, the majority of whom are women, children, and the elderly.

READ: British premier urged to recall parliament to ‘impose immediate sanctions’ on Israel

The AOHR UK explained that on 10 August 2025, during a speech delivered in a church in Uganda, Judge Sebutinde openly declared her religious support for the actions of the occupying power, stating:

“The Lord relies on me to stand with Israel… signs of the end times are appearing in the Middle East, and I want to be on the right side of history… I am convinced that time is running out, and I encourage you to follow developments in Israel. I feel humbled that God has allowed me to be part of the last days.”

The rights group emphasised that such statements were not surprising. It recalled that when the Court ordered provisional measures in the Gaza genocide case, and later issued its Advisory Opinion on 19 July 2024 regarding the nature of the Israeli occupation, Judge Sebutinde was the only judge to oppose all measures, including the facilitation of humanitarian aid. Her lengthy dissenting opinion to the Advisory Opinion clearly revealed her religious convictions and her absolute support for the occupation, denying—through biblical lens—the existence of Palestine and the Palestinian people.

Sebutinde’s dissenting opinion, AOHR UK noted, relied heavily on biblical narratives and stories granting Israel fictitious rights, thereby conferring false legitimacy on the horrific crimes committed against Palestinian civilians. “Such reasoning not only contradicts the foundations of international law but also emboldens the continuation of genocide, undermining the very principles upon which the Court’s authority rests;” the letter read. 

AOHR UK pointed out that Judge Sebutinde’s expressed views “mirror the rhetoric of Israeli leaders such as Netanyahu, Ben Gvir, and Smotrich, who for over 22 months of killing, destruction, starvation, and displacement have invoked biblical and Talmudic narratives to justify crimes and spur on the military in pursuit of the “Greater Israel” project, as Netanyahu recently articulated.”

Relatedly, the AOHR UK urged states, scholars, thinkers, lawyers, and legal practitioners worldwide to press the judges of the ICJ to remove Judge Sebutinde, in order to safeguard the integrity, impartiality, and independence of the Court—particularly in light of overwhelming evidence that Israel considers itself a state above the law, emboldened by the colonial support of the West led by the United States.

READ: UNICEF: Gaza’s children killed wherever they are, calls to prioritise their lives

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Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza's hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
Keir Starmer objects to criticism of the IDF. He asks how could anyone object to them starving people to death, forced marches like the Nazis did, bombing Gaza’s hospitals and universities,mass-murdering journalists, healthworkers and starving people queuing for food, killing and raping prisoners and murdering children. He calls for people to stop obstructing his genocide for Israel.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel's Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don't do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
UK Labour Party government ministers Keir Starmer, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves explain that they are partners complicit in Israel’s Gaza genocide. The UK has provided Israel with arms, military and air force support. They explain that they don’t do gas chambers but do do forced marches, starvation, destroy hospitals, mass-murders of journalists and healthcare workers.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Vote Labour for Genocide.
Continue ReadingRights group calls for dismissal of the ICJ Vice-President