1 8 July 2014 Israeli authorities use unnecessary force to quash protest of detained asylum seekers Around 1000 asylum seekers left Holot detention center in the Negev and marched to the Egyptian border, protesting their indefinite detention. Israeli authorities used unnecessary force during violent arrests of protestors camped by the Egyptian border. 756 of the protestors are currently imprisoned in Saharonim priso n, some still without a hearing after nine days in unlawful detention. Those injured complain of inadequate medical treatmentWhat you can do to help? In your contacts with the Israeli authorities, we encourage you to ask for independent, full and transparent investigation into the arrests and ensure that those found to have used unnecessary force against the protestors are brought to justice. Please urge the authorities to ensure that protestors have access to a fair and transparent judicial process and that those who were injured have access to adequate medical treatment. Finally, urge the Israeli government to cancel Amendment 4 of the Anti-infiltration Law, which allows for indefinite detention of asylum seekers in contradiction with Israel's international obligations. The Israeli Prime Minister's Office is heavily involved in setting Israeli policies regarding refugees and asylum seekers. You may also wish to discuss this issue with your relevant contacts at the Ministries of Justice, Interior, Foreign Affairs, and Internal Security. *** On Friday 27 June 2014, about 1,000 asylum seekers left Holot detention center and began marching towards the Israeli- Egyptian border. Many of them were carrying luggage and money. They were quickly stopped by IDF forces and subsequently camped a few hundred meters back at 'Nitzana Forest'. Under Amendment 4 of the Anti-Infiltration Law, asylum seekers are detained indefinitely in Holot.Their only way out of detention is to agree to be "voluntarily" repatriated to Sudan or Eritrea, or to a third country such as Uganda or Rwanda. Such de factodeportations are in violation of the principle ofnon-refoulement and are unlawful with regard to international standards, whether or not they are conducted under bilateral transfer a greements. One of the asylum seekers on the march told an Amnesty International Israel (AII) observant: "We have been in Israel for 6 years and asked for asylum. No one has examined our claims. People have now been in Holot for 6 or 7 months. Conditions there are very bad. A lot of people suffer from depression and are unable to cope. We know that the Israeli government call s it an open facility. But it is a prison. We cannot take it any long er."On Sunday, 29 June 2014, around 18:00, hundreds of security forces, including Israeli Border Police and other police forces, accompanied by immigration authorities, arrived at the scene and surrounded the protestors. Some police were on horseback and forces were equipped with a water cannon. Yossi Edelstein, Director of the Population Administration's Foreign Workers' Enforcement Unit (part of the Ministry of Interior), was present. The police officer in charge publicly announced to the protestors that if they were to willingly evacuate the premises, no violence would be used against them. At 19:15, security forces began the evacuation. An AII observer reported that evacuating forces dragged protestors on the ground, and used unnecessary force against at least half of them, including punches and kicks to various parts of the body. One of the asylum seekers later told Hotline for Refugees and Migrants (HRM) from Saharonim prison: "When we were in Nitzana,[…] we agreed that regardless of what the police do to us, we would not be violent. When the police came to take me […] I only said "we are not going from here". Maybe because I am big and tall, a few policemen or [Immigration] inspectors attacked me […] four Ethiopian policemen [of Ethiopian descent] hit me and three oth ers who were not Ethiopian […] they threw me on the ground and pushed my head to the ground with their legs. One of the Ethiopian policemen called me wäsha, which means dog in Amharic. I now suffer from severe pain to the neck, both sides [of the body] and my arm. I want to see a doctor and receive pain killers."
