The UK could be breaching its own obligations on the prevention of torture in its decision to suspend funding to the UN Palestinian refugee agency following reports that Israel used torture to gain information, charities have warned.
UK rights groups Freedom From Torture and Redress have written to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with concerns that the decision to pull funding for UNRWA was based on information obtained by use of torture.
The letter references a February report by UNRWA, which detailed testimonies of abuse and torture at the hands of Israeli authorities, including instances where Palestinian detainees were coerced into falsely stating that the agency has links to Hamas and that UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks.
The UK pulled its funding alongside other major donor parties, such as the US and European Union, in late January following Israel’s major claim that 12 UNRWA staff were involved in the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel which killed around 1,200 people and saw the group take 253 captives.
The open letter sent by Freedom from Torture and Redress on Friday calls on the prime minister to ensure that intelligence provided by Israeli authorities and used by the UK in its decision has not been obtained by methods of torture…..more
