Palestinian journalist says Israeli prison guards beat, filmed him naked during detention

A prominent Palestinian journalist who was arrested this month by Israel in the West Bank says he was beaten and filmed naked by prison guards during his nine-day detention.

Maan editor-in-chief Nasser al-Laham was arrested on suspicion of incitement and providing services to a terror organization, held in Ofer Prison, and then released without any charges nine days later.

Laham tells Haaretz that he was questioned over his part-time work as an analyst on the pro-Hezbollah al-Mayadeen, his work at the Palestinian news outlet Ma’an, and posts made from an X account under his name that he says does not belong to him.

“They didn’t find any incitement in what I wrote in Al-Mayadeen and Ma’an, so they started searching Twitter and social media,” he says.

“In Ofer, it doesn’t matter if you’re guilty or not guilty, what matters is that you’re Palestinian,” he says, alleging that he was beaten and cursed after being stripped naked and blindfolded by guards, who filmed him and threatened to use it for blackmail.

After eight days in Ofer, Laham says police did not request to extend his remand and he was unconditionally released.

Responding to the Haaretz report, the Israel Prisons Service claims in a statement that its guards operate in accordance with the law and that the rights of all prisoners are maintained. If a complaint is submitted, it is fully investigated, IPS says.

The agency has faced longstanding accusations of misconduct against Palestinian inmates, which have intensified since far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir began overseeing the IPS as national security minister in December 2022.