ShareThisDuring the week of 26 June 2009, the date that marks the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, PCATI conducted its annual campaign which this year focused on "Shackling as a Form of Torture and Abuse".
The week before the International Day PCATI launched a banner campaign on the Ha'aretz website. Those who clicked the banner were connected to information about the week's events and to a video (in Hebrew) we produced with Social TV. During the week, a special program produced by PCATI was broadcasted on "All for Peace Radio", and additional programming reffered to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture and to PCATI's activities. Our collaboration with "All for Peace Radio" continues with a weekly program, "Music, Politics and All that is In Between" which is produced and presented by PCATI's Executive Director, Dr. Ishai Menuchin. The program is broadcasted on Fridays from 5 – 6 PM, and is rebroadcasted on Sundays between 9 – 10 AM. The program may also be heard on the station's website.
On June 25 PCATI organized an event in Tel Aviv in which six notable Israel Prize laureates, Shulamit Aloni, Alex Levac, Prof. Ram Loevy, Prof. Yehuda Judd Ne'eman, Ruth Reznick, and Prof. Yonah Rosenfeld, addressed the issue of torture in Israel from their unique perspectives. PCATI Attorney Samah Elkhatib-Ayoub, who wrote the report, presented its findings.
On June 26, PCATI staff, board members and supporters gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Jerusalem for a mass public "Shackling". Participants were shackled with metal or plastic manacles and photographed by prominent Israeli photo journalist, Miki Kratsman. The photos will be exhibited in a Tel Aviv art gallery and on the internet. The Social TV film "Chains of Humiliation" which includes clips of PCATI's "shackling" event can be viewed here (in Hebrew).
The publication of PCATI's painful shackling report was also echoed at the Knesset. MK Ilan Gilon gave a "one minute" speech in the Knesset plenary on the report and the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture. He also organized a meeting between PCATI and several Knesset members from various parties.
Additional events:
At the beginning of July, PCATI took part in the "One Shekel Festival" events in Jerusalem's Katamonim neighborhood and in the city of Lod. PCATI staff members erected an information table at each event, distributed material and interacted with many of the festival's attendees.
PCATI, in addition, organized an event in Haifa in collaboration with the Social-Economic Academy
and the Haifa Cinematheque. At this event director and Israel Prize laureate Ram Loevy's film "The Film that Wasn't" was screened followed by a talk by Professor Loevy and PCATI's Executive Director, Dr. Ishai Menuchin.
The third of a series of films titled "Investigating the Media" on media coverage of the OPT and international law, produced by PCATI in collaboration with Social TV can now be viewed. The first and second programs in the series are also available for viewing (all of them in Hebrew).
