הוועד הציבורי נגד עינויים בישראל

On 30 October 2007, Attorney Rachela Er’el of the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel (PCATI) submitted a letter to Attorney General, Meni Mazuz, demanding a further clarification of his reply to an earlier complaint on the employment of psychological pressure through the exploitation of family members of detainees and interrogees. The letter includes details regarding three severe cases in which family members were used as a form of pressure in interrogation.

The original complaint was filed on 11 April 2007 by Attorney Er’el on behalf of PCATI, Hamoked-Center for the Defense of the Individual, B’tselem and Physicians for Human Rights and focused on the case of the Suweiti family.

The Attorney General’s reply of 11 July 2007 is exceptional from both a legal and a public point of view in that it represents the recognition of the law enforcement authorities in Israel that a method they employ is illegal and must be banned. However, the reply is worded in a way that implies that in certain cases the use of family members as a method of psychological pressure against an interrogee may be allowed.