The UN Committee Against Torture is holding hearings this week in Geneva to determine if the Palestinian leadership is in compliance with the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. The 10-member expert panel is meant to review all 174 parties to the Torture Convention every four years. Although the Palestinian Authority does not qualify as a state under international law, Ramallah signed on to the treaty in 2014.
For years, rights groups have raised serious concerns about torture and other violations by both the PA and Hamas, the US-designated terror group that governs the Gaza Strip.
As Palestinians fight for change against their increasingly repressive rulers, the mainstream media continues to act as the communications department for the PA and Hamas.
The conclusions of the UN committee, which will include recommendations for reforms, are expected to be published later this month. Will the media report on the findings…or continue its de facto black out?
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