The country’s domestic intelligence agency, the Shin Bet, will be instituting stricter guidelines on the use of physical and psychological pressure during the interrogation of Arab suspects.
The Shin Bet acknowledged the new guidelines in response to a court case filed with the High Court of Justice by a public human rights committee aiming to prevent torture.
A general description of the new guidelines was presented to the court in a public document, while the full and detailed directives were given in a separate, classified affidavit.
The new guidelines are more specific than in the past. They no longer give interrogators license to use severe measures on all suspects.
The new guidelines state explicitly that the measures that can be used by an interrogator will be determined in each case individually, according to the background of the specific suspect and the value of the information that can be obtained from him. Applying limited physical or psychological pressure is only allowed with inmates suspected of “serious” violations of the law.
Those measures which are not mentioned specifically as being allowed are prohibited.
Thus measures such as denying the suspect food and drink, denying him the use of a toilet, or exposing him to extreme cold or heat are banned.
According to the Shin Bet head, whose identity is kept secret, the changes in the guidelines came about after recommendations made by a ministerial committee comprising Justice Minister David Libai and Police Minister Moshe Shahal.
The changes were approved last week by Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, who is responsible for the agency.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
