Even a person who has broken the law is entitled to certain basic rights, that cannot be compromised, especially a suspect or person accused of a crime, both of whom still benefit from the presumption of innocence. Furthermore, the human rights of a prisoner do not end at the prison gates.
In Israel’s unstable security environment, criminal justice is an especially important issue to address. When a nation is under constant threat of war, criminal justice is often one of the last things to be upheld, as prisoners and detainees can often be viewed as a threat to, not only individuals within the state, but the state itself. ACRI works to ensure that the broad powers that rest in the hands of the law enforcement authorities will not be used in a way that unjustifiably violates the rights of those held in their custody.
Resources on the Rights of Suspects, Prisoners, and Detainees:
ACRI: Chaim Pearlman Must Meet with a Lawyer, July 2010
ACRI: Amir Makhoul Must Meet with Lawyer, May 2010
ACRI to Attorney-General: Request Removal of Extended Gag Order, April 2010
ACRI to Attorney-General: Drop Charges Against Gaza War Demonstrators, June 2009
Whose Prisoners are These?, Metro – The Jerusalem Post, June 2009
New Prison Regulations Restrict Numbers of Books and CDs Per Inmate, June 2009
ACRI and Partners: Revoke Law Severely Limiting Due Process Rights, January 2009
Human Rights Groups: State in Contempt of Court for Torture, November 2008
“Administrative Detention: For the Good of Many?”, The Jerusalem Post, October 16, 2008
ACRI presentation to Yale Conference on Security and Human Rights:
Administrative Detention in Israel and the Occupied Territories, April 2008
In Landmark Ruling, Court Orders State to Provide Bed for Every Prisoner, February 2007
Israel’s Criminal Justice System, Interview with ACRI Attorney Lila Margalit, March 2006
Early Release Parole Board Decisions to be Made Public, February 2006
