Report on Torture Case / Imad Atwi

8 July, 2010

On Sunday 27th of June, 2010 an Israeli army unit crossed the border with Lebanon and abducted the Lebanese citizen Imad Atwi in Tallet Saddaneh area on the outskirts of the town, Kafashuba and Shebaa Farms.
The Lebanese shepherd, 37 years old, was abducted at 1:00 P.M by an Israeli troop, and was released on the second day at the Naqura border crossing where the International Red Cross Unit handed him to the Lebanese army.
Atwi, who is married and has 4 kids has been working as a shepherd for the past 20 years.
During investigation, the victim was subjected to all means of torture. He was beaten savagely until he fainted and lost consciousness, and then the soldiers splashed a barrel of water over him to wake him up, handcuffed him, blindfolded him, and then was hospitalized for serious injuries.
Atwi was accused of preparing to kidnap Israeli soldiers on the borders between Lebanon and Israel.
In the Israeli Hospital, Atwi was injected with unknown drugs, and they also examined him and made some x-rays for him, but he didn’t have any broken bone.
After being released, Atwi was admitted to the Hospital in Tyre, and found trauma damage to his head and body as well as different injuries all over his body especially in his back and legs.

Few days later, the critical health condition has deteriorated, and was admitted to the Govermental Hospital in Marej Oyoun City on 7th of July, 2010, after he was examined in Khiam Center in Deir Seryein Village.
In addition, the abduction and torture has left many negative effects on Atwi’s psychological situation. Now he suffers from anxiety and continuous fear on the destiny of his family.
The Israeli aggression is a severe violation to the UN Convention against Torture with which Israel has signed on. Article 4 states that “ Each State Party shall ensure that all acts of torture are offences under its criminal law” . While Article 6 states “The State shall immediately make a preliminary inquiry into the facts”.
This brutal abduction is an assault of the Blue Line and the Lebanese sovereignty. It is also a blatant violation to Geneva Convention and Resolution 1701.
UNIFEL spokesman, Neeraj Singh, has proclaimed that the Israeli troops had abducted the Lebanese shepherd, Imad Atwi.
A security official said the shepherd was abducted in an area where there is no barbed wire separating Shebaa Farms from the Lebanese town of Shebaa, and it is not the first time when Israeli troops kidnap Lebanese citizens inside the Lebanese borders.
The Lebanese army said Atwi was hospitalized due to serious injuries and bruises.
We, Khiam Center, submit this report to the Committee Against Torture and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and call for an immediate investigation on the severe committed crime against Lebanon and its citizens, and we urge the international community to hold Israel responsible for this violation, and obliges the latter to compensate the physical and psychological harms caused due to torture.