Amnesty International Charges that Hamas is Carrying Out Abductions, Torture, and Executions of Palestinians They Believe Collaborated with Israel

Amnesty International Media Briefing, February 10, 2009 - ....There is incontrovertible evidence that Hamas security forces and armed militias have been responsible for grave human rights abuses and that the victims of such abuses and many others are being intimidated and discouraged from testifying about their ordeal. The Hamas de-facto administration has displayed a flagrant disregard for the most fundamental human rights norms, not only allowing such abuses to be perpetrated, but actually facilitating and encouraging the abuses by justifying them and by granting absolute impunity to the perpetrators.

Amnesty International calls on the Hamas de-facto administration to:

• immediately end the campaign of abductions, deliberate and unlawful killings, torture and death threats in which Hamas forces and militias have been engaged since the end of December 2008;
• agree to the establishment of an independent , impartial and non-partisan national commission of experts to investigate human rights abuses committed by its forces and militias and any other parties since December 2008, and pledge to cooperate with such a commission and allow it to carry out its work;
• guarantee that victims, witnesses and others who testify or otherwise complain about human rights abuses will not be targeted, harassed or intimidated;
• undertake to take the necessary steps to address the findings and recommendations of the investigation, which should be made public;
• undertake to hold accountable those responsible for the abuses, accordig to internationally recognized fair trial standards and without recourse to the death penalty.