Sunday, August 11, 2024

Mining companies strengthen their commitment to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples

ICMM CEO and president Rohitesh Dhawan

8th August 2024
By: Sabrina Jardim
Creamer Media Online Writer

Ahead of the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, on August 9, mining industry organisation the ICMM’s members have reaffirmed their commitment to respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples, recognising their importance as partners in the development of mining projects on their lands and territories.

The ICMM’s updated Indigenous Peoples and Mining Position Statement includes commitments to obtain agreement from Indigenous Peoples on anticipated impacts to their rights from ICMM members’ activities, identified through human rights due diligence and early and meaningful engagement.

The ICMM says these processes reflect a company’s responsibility to respect Indigenous Peoples’ rights, independent of the State’s obligation to obtain the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples prior to the approval of projects affecting their lands, territories and resources.

It also sets out what companies will do if agreement cannot be reached and States have granted permission for projects to proceed. The ICMM says this comes at a critical time in the world’s energy transition, with an estimated 54% of critical mineral mining projects located on or near Indigenous lands.

It is also set against the backdrop of increasing challenges to Indigenous Peoples’ rights and ways of life from a variety of sources including climate change, nature loss and wider industrial development including mining.

The ICMM says the revised position statement has been developed over more than two years with extensive engagement with Indigenous Peoples’ representatives, human rights and legal experts, and with significant input from ICMM members’ subject matter experts and leaders. Their inputs have helped to inform and strengthen the nine commitments detailed in the position statement.

ICMM CEO and president Rohitesh Dhawan says these important commitments reinforce the ICMM’s dedication to respecting Indigenous Peoples’ rights, participating in meaningful engagement, and supporting the fair and equitable participation of Indigenous Peoples in the development of mining projects on their lands and territories.

“With these revisions, we hope to provide much-needed clarity on the role of companies, alongside States, to contribute to the free, prior and informed consent of Indigenous Peoples in decisions that affect them.

“Alongside many positive examples of respectful and enduring partnerships that have advanced social and economic development of Indigenous Peoples, we recognise that in some instances, mining activities have harmed their rights.

“We will continue to reflect on how we can better develop, operate and close mines in ways that enhance our critical relationships with Indigenous Peoples and contribute to aligned development aspirations, and respects Indigenous Peoples' right to participate in decision-making on matters that will affect them,” he says.

“The updated Indigenous Peoples and Mining Position Statement brings significantly more rigour to the expectations of ICMM member companies in how we, the mining industry, engage, understand and respect the rights of Indigenous Peoples.

“These commitments serve as the foundations of lasting relationships built on transparency, trust and mutual benefit,” adds Newmont CEO and ICMM social performance council advisory group chair Tom Palmer.

Business and human rights legal expert Jonathan Drimmer says the standards relating to Indigenous Peoples are changing, and there is now greater recognition of their rights and what free, prior and informed consent really entails.

“ICMM’s Position Statement helps solidify current best practices even against this evolving landscape. It helps companies to understand what activities they should be undertaking and stakeholders to understand how they should be evaluating these activities,” says Drimmer.

Edited by Chanel de Bruyn

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor Online

Leading indigenous networks submit commentary for the ongoing review of the ICMM position statement

Download attachment

"Comments for the review of the Indigenous Peoples & Mining Position Statement of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM)" 19th June, 2024

Asia Indigenous Peoples Network on Extractive Industries and Energy (AIPNEE) and Right Energy Partnership with Indigenous Peoples (REP) jointly submit this commentary for the ongoing review of the Indigenous Peoples & Mining Position Statement of the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM), including with reference to draft of the Position Statement shared by the ICMM on 4 June 2024...

We at AIPNEE and REP convey our serious concerns that the ICMM has not undertaken meaningful and broad consultations with Indigenous Peoples’ representatives from around the world for the review of the Position Statement....

That is despite our repeated requests to the ICMM to 1) organize targeted consultations with Indigenous Peoples... and 2) carry out a publicly transparent and time bound review process with information provided about how Indigenous Peoples and other stakeholders can engage at various points...

Below, we lay out our key concerns with draft of the Position Statement...

Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) – Our foremost concern is that the draft Policy Statement, under Commitment 4, fails to recognize Indigenous Peoples right to FPIC...
Benefit sharing... We call on the ICMM to commit its members to benefit sharing in the form of royalties and/or co-owernship for the affected Indigenous Peoples to ensure shared prosperity from their project or activity...
We call on ICMM members to specifically involve those subsets of Indigenous communities in more vulnerable situations in the the decision making process of the communities...

We hope that the ICMM will amend the draft Position Statement as per our comments and revisions and in line with international human rights laws and standards. We stress that the draft Position Statement in its current form is unacceptable unless the problematic commitments related to FPIC and other issues are revised....

Rio Tinto’s Serbia lithium mine project faces fresh protests

Bloomberg News | August 10, 2024

Widespread protests in Serbia cost Rio Tinto its Jadar lithium project.

(Screenshot from: Sharjah24 News | YouTube.)

Tens of thousands of environmental and opposition activists protested in Belgrade to demand a halt to Rio Tinto Group’s $2.4 billion plan to open Europe’s biggest lithium mine in Serbia.

Demonstrators marched through the capital chanting “You will not dig” and “Treason, treason,” the latest sign of unrest against a project backed by President Aleksandar Vucic. The crowd swelled to about 40,000 by Saturday evening, according to Archive of Public Gatherings, a private group that tracks protests.

The troubles highlight the challenges to building new mines in Europe, even as governments try to secure supplies of minerals such as lithium that are crucial for the energy transition. For the world’s second-largest miner, the Serbian mine has become a flagship development projects as it looks to dilute its dependence on iron ore.

The project was halted in 2022 to defuse protests by environmental activists concerned that mining and processing lithium, a metal vital for battery production, would cause pollution. Serbia’s top court lifted the ban in July.

Saturday’s rally followed more than a dozen smaller protests across Serbia.

Vucic’s administration has touted the project as a boost to the economy. Finance Minister Sinisa Mali has said that lithium mining, if complemented by local production of batteries and electric vehicles, could add as much as €12 billion ($13 billion) annually to Serbia’s economic output.

Last month, Serbian and EU officials signed an agreement on providing supplies of critical raw materials across the bloc, with a focus on lithium. Mercedes Benz AG chief executive officer Ola Kaellenius and Stellantis NV representatives also signed a letter of intent to invest in developing EV battery outputs.

The activists dismiss assurances from the government that the mine would adhere to strict environmental standards.

(By Misha Savic and Jan Bratanic)

GEMOLOGY

London-Listed Gem Diamonds Unveils a 145.55 ct Type II White Diamond

In a dazzling display of natural wonder, Gem Diamonds, listed on the London Stock Exchange, has announced the recovery of a magnificent 145.55 carat Type II white diamond from its Letsěng mine in Lesotho

The discovery was made on August 3, marking a significant addition to the mine's storied history of unearthing some of the world's most exceptional diamonds.

A Year of Exceptional Finds

This 145.55 ct diamond is the ninth diamond weighing over 100 carats to be recovered from the Letsěng mine in 2024 alone. Each discovery reaffirms the mine's reputation for producing some of the highest quality and most valuable diamonds on the planet.

The Legacy of Letsěng

Gem Diamonds holds a 70% stake in the Letsěng mine, which consistently yields large, high-quality white diamonds. The mine's unique geological conditions contribute to its ability to produce diamonds of remarkable size and clarity. This latest find continues to cement Letsěng's status as the highest dollar-per-carat kimberlite diamond mine in the world.

The Significance of Type II Diamonds

Type II diamonds, like the 145.55 ct gem recently discovered, are known for their exceptional purity. They lack nitrogen impurities, which can give diamonds a yellowish tint. This absence results in a superior optical transparency, making Type II diamonds particularly desirable in the market.

Economic and Industry Impact

The recovery of such significant diamonds not only enhances Gem Diamonds' portfolio but also has broader implications for the diamond industry. Large, high-quality diamonds generate substantial revenue and can influence market trends, particularly in the luxury jewellery sector. The rarity and beauty of these diamonds attract significant attention from collectors and investors worldwide.

A Bright Future for Gem Diamonds

Gem Diamonds' ongoing success at the Letsěng mine demonstrates the company's effective management and advanced mining techniques. As they continue to unearth remarkable diamonds, Gem Diamonds reinforces its position as a leading player in the global diamond industry.

The discovery of the 145.55 ct Type II white diamond at the Letsěng mine is a testament to the enduring allure and value of large, high-quality diamonds. As Gem Diamonds continues to explore and extract these natural treasures, the world watches with anticipation for the next extraordinary find.

Gem Diamonds finds ninth diamond over 100 carats in 2024

August 07, 2024

Gem Diamonds Ltd - 70% owner of Letseng diamond mine in Lesotho, southern Africa - Finds 145.55 carat type II white diamond at Leseng mine on Saturday. The stone is the ninth diamond of more than 100 carats found so far in 2024. The value of such large stones varies widely. In the first quarter of this year, Gem Diamonds said it sold 113.11 carat white diamond for USD39,345 per carat, or USD4.5 million.

Argyle Pink Diamond Among Last Mined Takes Center Stage in Online Auction

A rare 0.94-carat Argyle Pink diamond, one of the last gems to be recovered from the legendary Argyle mine in Western Australia, is now up for auction

The diamond, a cushion-cut fancy intense VS1 gem, is graded 6P, indicating a hue intensity of 6/10 with pink as the dominant colour.

This extraordinary stone is the centrepiece of a 416-lot online auction that concludes on August 11. The auction features a collection of items from the late Graham Jackson, the former owner of Loloma Jewellers in Townsville, Australia, who passed away at 92 in May.

The Argyle Pink diamond was originally sold at the 2021 Argyle Pink Tender, marking Rio Tinto's final collection from the mine before it ceased operations in November 2020. Over its 37-year history, the Argyle mine was renowned for producing 90% of the world's pink diamonds.

Sydney-based First State Auctions is handling the sale, with the diamond expected to fetch between AUD$700,000 and AUD$800,000 (US$455,000 to US$520,000).

This auction follows a significant purchase by Tiffany & Co. in January, when the luxury jeweller acquired a parcel of 35 Argyle pink diamonds, ranging from 0.35 to 1.52 carats, for its select clientele.

Farmer gets 16.10 carat diamond

Thursday, 08 August 2024 | Staff Reporter | BHOPAL

A farmer Dileep Mistry and three others found a 16.10-carat diamond in a mine in Panna district on August 6.

Mistry had leased a piece of land in Jaruapur area for excavation with three of his associates.

According to the article, a government official in the Panna diamond office called Anupam Singh said that the gem-quality diamond would be put up for sale in the next government auction.

The diamond is likely to fetch a good price and the proceeds will be given to the owner after deducting the government royalty.

The diamond is likely to fetch a good price and the proceeds will be given to the owner after deducting the government royalty. Mistry told, that he hopes to improve the financial condition of his family. He also added that he had gotten lucky in the same mine earlier and will continue mining.

Talison Lithium commits first Australian mine to IRMA independent audit

Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA)

Greenbushes town and lithium mine. Credit: Talison LithiumAudits

6 August 2024By IRMA

Seattle/Perth – 6/7 Aug – Talison Lithium Pty Ltd has committed its Greenbushes Lithium Operation to third-party independent assessment against the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. Located in Western Australia, Greenbushes Lithium Operation is the first mine in Australia to volunteer its operation for IRMA audit.

“By volunteering Greenbushes Lithium Operation for independent audit against the world’s most rigorous global mining standard, Talison Lithium is providing unprecedented transparency into the operations of an Australian mine,” said IRMA Executive Director Aimee Boulanger. “They are effectively putting themselves under a microscope and welcoming affected stakeholders to examine their mine and help them make their mine more responsible.”

“We care about a better future—and we know our stakeholders do as well. Whether it be employees, the community, or customers, we want them to know we are committed to responsible mining and production practices” said Ian McGuire, Interim Managing Director, Talison. “To achieve this, we need to provide those affected by our mine the information they need to engage in meaningful dialogue about where Talison is achieving best practice, and where there is more work to be done. That’s why we’re doing an IRMA audit.”

The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance (IRMA) is (1) a voluntary mining standard describing best practices to protect people and the environment, (2) an assurance process to measure mines against that standard, and (3) an organization equally governed by representatives of six affected stakeholder sectors – communities, organized labor, NGOs, finance, purchasers and mining companies — that controls the standard and the assurance process. IRMA is globally unique in that its governance provides communities equal power to mining companies, and the non-commercial interests the same power as commercial interests.

Talison, a wholly owned subsidiary of Windfield Holdings Pty Ltd—privately held by Tianqi Lithium Energy Australia (TLEA), a joint venture between Tianqi Lithium Corporation (Tianqi) and IGO Limited (IGO) holding 51% and Albemarle Corporation (Albemarle) holding 49% operates the Greenbushes Lithium Operation. With over 40 years of industry leadership, the Greenbushes Lithium Operation has been central to the establishment of the Australian lithium sector. Located 250 kilometers south of Perth, it is renowned as the world’s premier lithium asset. Its high-quality ore reserves make it a key supplier of lithium, a critical mineral for the global shift to cleaner energy. Employing more than 1,500 people, Talison is committed to working closely with its workforce, shareholders and the local community as it continues to expand.

SCS Global Services, an IRMA-approved independent audit firm, will be carrying out the assessment, which includes a desk review (stage 1) followed by an onsite audit (stage 2). Using the contact information below, members of the affected community, public officials, representatives of the workforce, or other organizations are invited to submit comments starting now regarding how the mine site is managing their impacts to the environment including air, water, waste, greenhouse gases, and ecosystems; how the mine supports their workforce; and how the mine interacts with the surrounding community, and how it impacts the community, positively or negatively. Interested parties may also ask to be interviewed by auditors once they are on the mine site.
For More Information:To follow the progress of the IRMA assessment, visit the IRMA website for Talison Lithium’s Greenbushes Lithium Operation independent assessment status page

If you would like more information on how the audit of the Greenbushes operation will be conducted against the IRMA standard — contact IRMA’s Director of Assurance: Michelle Smith, msmith@responsiblemining.net

Interested parties may contact the independent audit firm SCS Global Services, to share comments or to ask to be interviewed as part of the audit process. 30 days prior to the onsite audit, SCS will make its own announcement and invitation directly to local communities and workers. The audit firm can be reached by email at: feedback@scsglobalservices.com

Miners turn to Government for assistance as China flips battery metals on their head

Story by Josh Chiat

•

Miners call for more Government support as Diggers and Dealers have a rough time in the battery metals sector
Ken Brinsden says “wheat desk” style price-setting could help rare earths developers outside China, and that the West should get serious about pouring public money into refineries
Australian spodumene still in demand as miners warn of unknowns for converters relying on ‘rushed’ African supply

China’s control of prices in rare earths, lithium, nickel and other specialty metals key to defence and the future of energy security are leading to increasing calls for government intervention to support the mining industry, in a reversion of the typical approach of miners to the regulation of the sector.

The most strident calls arguably came from lithium legend Ken Brinsden, the Australian boss of Canadian explorer Patriot Battery Metals (ASX:PMT), who called on the West to bankroll lithium refining in a game of catch-up on electric vehicle supply chains against China and suggested the Australian Government could revive bodies akin to the Wheat and Potato boards to set profitable prices for rare earths producers.

The calling cry from the sector is often around red tape and approvals, with the best thing Government can do being ‘getting out of the way’.

There were plenty of those at the Diggers and Dealers Mining Forum in Kalgoorlie, with Capricorn Metals (ASX:CMM) chair Mark Clark using his toast to the industry at the awards dinner to say the mining industry needed to tell its story better in the face of negative perceptions in the wider community.

But the recent collapse in nickel and lithium prices, as well as the persistently low prices of rare earths caused to a large extent by ramped up production quotas in China last year, has the industry thinking differently about the way forward.

“I would establish the equivalent of the wheat desk,” Ken Brinsden said on the sidelines in Kal.

“I would set a price in the market that I thought represented a reasonable rate of return to the average rare earths company.

“If it’s truly strategic, you would set that price and you would buy that product to facilitate the investment that’s required upstream. In the absence of an intervention, there will be no Western supply response, because China doesn’t play by our rules.

“I’ve come to the conclusion that the rules by which China plays the raw materials game actually can’t be beaten by the West.”

Ken Brinsden went HAM on the final day of Diggers. Pic: Supplied/Stockhead

Cap in hand

With a muted mood at Diggers driving fears money men smell the whiff of a downturn, outside the antiquated and ironically booming gold sector, more miners are calling on government support to preserve the next egg in our nickel and lithium industries.

Liontown Resources (ASX:LTR) boss Tony Ottaviano called for royalty relief from the WA Government to support lithium miners as it ramps up its Kathleen Valley operation, which recently poured first concentrate.

Despite delivering solid cashflows at current prices, Pilbara Minerals (ASX:PLS) boss Dale Henderson was also supportive, though miners like Brinsden, the previous PLS boss who led the company through the 2018-2020 ‘Lithium Winter’, said support was normally too slow to flow.

WA Mines Minister David Michael stopped short of offering a bone to lithium or nickel players when pressed by media last week. A day later news of another potential mine closure came, with Arcadium Lithium (ASX:LTM) announcing it would pause investment on the James Bay lithium project in Canada and potentially mothball the Mt Cattlin mine in WA early.

Equally, Australia’s nascent refining industry is suffering as prices, a dearth of expertise and weak supply chains resulted among other reasons in poor performance at Albemarle’s Kemerton plant, where investment on three of the four trains has now been halted, and IGO (ASX:IGO) and Tianqi’s Kwinana refinery.

IGO’s Ivan Vella said Australia’s inability to compete with Chinese manufacturers was related to the skill base built in Chinese plants, many of which are heavily automated, while supplies for shutdowns and breakages are also on their doorsteps.

Albemarle also decided not to progress a refining MoU with Patriot over its Shaakichiuwaanaan project, which now contains over 140Mt of high grade spodumene ore, earlier this year, a sign the commercial appetite is not there in the West in the current climate.

Brinsden says governments need to step in to ensure refining is done close to our world class mines in order to drive down Western EV battery cell prices and reduce reliance on China.

“My personal view is absolutely, and we should have done it a decade ago. China’s got the best part of a decade’s lead as a function of the West kind of sitting on their hands, and the time to change the game is absolutely now, or should have happened already,” Brinsden said.

“China’s in such a dominant position that it represents a huge threat to a lot of industries in the West, the least of which is the car industry and we’ve got a lot of catch up to do.

“So there is going to have to be a change in behaviour.”

Brinsden said there is a ‘big issue here that cannot be solved by free markets’.

“There’s no logic now in the West saying, ‘well, we’re just going to wait to see how it gets resolved’, because in the intervening period, China just gets better,” he argued.

“Exactly what they’re doing today: lower cost EVs, lower cost cells, dominance in energy storage. That’s actually what’s happening, so you’ve got to change the game.”

Brinsden’s comments came two days after Labor heavyweight, ex-politician and diplomat Kim Beazley called for up to $5bn in State funding to be directed towards Australian rare earths producers to compete with China.

READ: Diggers and Dealers: Should the Government foot the bill for rare earths losses? Kim Beazley says yes

How bad is it really?

The lithium conundrum has emerged as weaker economic numbers in China and pullbacks in investment from western automakers have conspired with supply side surges to force chemical prices down from over US$80,000/t in late 2022 to a little over US$11,000/t today.

Spodumene concentrate prices have tumbled from US$8000/t to under US$900/t in the same period.

But lithium explorers and producers are sceptical some of the supply sources Chinese converters and battery makers have relied on are sustainable in the long-term.

Lepidolite producers are well into the cost curve, while African hard rock supply, outside the newly established Goulamina mine in Mali, is believed by ASX producers to have quality control issues.

Brinsden said the current downturn was nothing like 2020.

“That was a demand problem more than it was a supply problem. In fact, it really didn’t matter what price you wanted to sell your product for. Basically, China was saying, don’t send the ships,” he recalled.

“That has not happened in the current market. West Australian spodumene supply has continued. And you have to ask yourself, why?

“If China’s supply response is so good, if it’s so good domestically in China or in Africa, why wouldn’t they, at some point in time in the cycle say, we don’t need your s**t from Western Australia.

“And that hasn’t happened in this cycle. So what’s fallen out of the market? The other crap that they’ve supplied to market, either domestically in China or some of those lesser lights in Africa, and this is, in my view, this is actually a really important point about the structure of the industry.

“Even if an analyst tells you this product from China is actually good or it’s low cost, I would be very sceptical and simply say it’s not.”

Tighten up

Other lithium experts in Australia think the market will tighten up again despite the shockwaves of the past 12-18 months.

“The market, when it does tighten up, it’ll be projects like ours that will be first and foremost on the radar for development,” Global Lithium Resources (ASX:GL1) exec chair Ron Mitchell told delegates last Wednesday.

An executive at Talison Lithium when its Greenbushes mine was the sole supplier of spodumene from WA, competing against African petalite deposits to sell into the Chinese market, Mitchell says it remains uncertain what the quality and cost profile is of many African lithium operations.

He says the rush to supply a hot market has brought ‘unpredictable’ material online.

“There was a rush to market, China Inc. went into Africa in a big way and there was a mandate about getting tonnes to market in whatever shape possible,” he told Stockhead.

“I know from previous experience, I was involved in competing against an African petalite deposit, the orebodies are quite complex, they have lithium and other mineralisation and not all spodumene dominant, which is what you want.

“A real metallurgical test work campaign is 18-24 months of work, infill drilling needs to be done and sampling that’s representative of the orebody. Clearly what happened, and Ken is attuned to this, with the rush to get more lithium out there a lot of shortcuts were taken.”

He said this has seen material come into the supply chain where recoveries at converters are “up and down like a yo yo”.

“It’s about sustainability and it’s got nothing to do with ESG. The point is are they sustainable from a production perspective and a recovery perspective?” Mitchell said.

“That’s the great unknown in terms of what’s been coming out of Africa.”

MinRes-backed GL1 owns the ~51Mt at 1% Li2O Manna project near Kalgoorlie, where a DFS is due at the end of 2024.

The post Miners turn to Government for assistance as China flips battery metals on their head appeared first on Stockhead.

‘Grossly illegal, revolting’: Alleged sexual assault video of Palestinian detainee only a glimpse of Israel’s ‘torture camps’

Reports from rights bodies and testimonies suggest purported leaked footage is only "tip of the iceberg" of Israel's rights abuses.

Dawn.com

Published August 10, 2024

A horrific purported video of Israeli soldiers allegedly sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee has brought to light similar concerns expressed by multiple rights bodies for long.

Rights experts have said “reports of alleged torture and sexual violence in Israel’s Sde Teiman prison are grossly illegal and revolting, but they only represent the tip of the iceberg”, while another testimony-based report has called Israeli prisons a “network of torture camps”.

The shadowy detention centre of Sde Teiman has gained notoriety in recent months after CNN and the Associated Press published harrowing investigations that detailed abuses and inhumane treatment of Palestinian prisoners there.

According to CNN, the footage was broadcast by Israeli channel N12 and allegedly showed Israeli soldiers sexually assaulting a Palestinian held at a detention centre.

The leaked surveillance video appears to show a group of detainees lying on the ground and a group of soldiers can be seen taking a detainee to a corner of the facility, CNN said.

The footage surfaced online days after Israeli police arrested nine soldiers from Sde Teiman over allegations of severe abuse of a Palestinian detainee during the ongoing Gaza conflict.

While it could not be confirmed if the video was from the same incident in which arrests were made, the soldiers had been apprehended from Sde Teiman and AP, citing unnamed Israeli soldiers, said the video matched the facility’s description.

The United States called the allegations “horrific” while the European Union (EU) said it was “gravely concerned”. Journalists and others vocal about similar past allegations reiterated their call to hold the suspects accountable.

The US called the sexual abuse allegations “horrific” and said that Israel ought to “swiftly” and “fully” investigate them.

“When there are alleged violations the government of Israel needs to take steps to investigate those who are alleged to have committed abuses, and if appropriate, hold them accountable,” said US State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller.

He urged Israel to “investigate those who are alleged to have committed abuses and, if appropriate, hold them accountable”.

“There ought to be zero tolerance for sexual abuse, rape of any detainee, period,” Miller said when asked about a report issued by Israeli human rights group B’tselem detailing abuses against Palestinian detainees.

About whether the US would “support an independent investigation into those allegations”, Miller said the Israeli government and the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) needed to “fully investigate those actions”.

The EU was “gravely concerned” by the allegations, Peter Stano, a spokesperson for the bloc’s diplomatic service, told Politico.

Stano stressed that the EU has “repeatedly called on Israel to ensure that all those arrested or detained are treated in line with international human rights and international humanitarian law and standards”.

Jeremy Laurence, media officer for the UN’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), called the footage “shocking”.

“It is one of many seen in recent months involving gross violations against Palestinian detainees by Israel, including acts of ill-treatment, torture, sexual violence and rape,” Laurence told Anadolu.

He highlighted that the OHCHR regularly raised concerns about impunity being a “long-standing problem” in Israel in the context of violations against Palestinians. The official also urged Israel to “give immediate access to independent monitoring bodies” to all prisons.

In a statement, the UN’s Human Rights Office in occupied Palestinian territories “reiterated the urgent need for a full-scale investigation into Israel’s detention practices”.

It said the UN’s OHCHR has “documented a number of videos in recent months which show gross violations of the rights of Palestinians detained by Israel, including acts of ill treatment, torture, sexual violence and rape”.

Noting “Israel’s well documented long-standing failure to ensure accountability for serious violations of international humanitarian law”, the OHCHR said “remedies at the international level” were necessary.

Journalists, rights monitors and others also shared the footage to highlight the human rights abuses allegedly committed by Israeli soldiers.

Euro-Med Monitor, an independent rights organisation, shared its statement dated August 2 that called on the international community to “act swiftly and forcefully to end Israel’s systematic and widespread use of torture and other serious violations against Palestinian prisoners”.

It also shared a video testimony on X of Abdulaziz Junaid, who was informed of his son Omar’s death months after he was detained by the Israeli army from northern Gaza.

“Don’t look away,” said renowned journalist Mehdi Hasan as he shared a post with the alleged video.

“This is what the US government is helping to pay for. Right now,” he said.

Husam Zomlot, the Palestinian ambassador to the United Kingdom, said it was “time that rapists and criminals are stopped and held accountable”.

“Without justice how can we get peace?” he asked on X.

Francesca Albanese, the UN’s special rapporteur for occupied Palestinian territories, said it was a “legitimate question” as she shared a writer’s post asking why the alleged incident was “not being shared on Western mainstream news channels”.

Scottish historian William Dalrymple also questioned why the development was not a “major story” in the UK’s media giants.

He termed the Sde Teiman centre as the “Israeli Abu Ghraib rape camp” — a reference to an American prison in Iraq.

Al Jazeera journalist Laila Al Arain pointed out: “There hasn’t been any mainstream media coverage, no breaking news alerts, no cable news panels.”

Arrests shed light

The arrests of the Israeli soldiers suspected of sexual abuse led to scuffles between their supporters and the military, meaning it was unlikely for the matter to go unreported in international media.

According to the Associated Press, five of the soldiers are no longer under investigation as of August 8.

AP further reported that the Israeli supreme court was also hearing a petition seeking the closure of the Sde Teiman facility and had given the state a week and a half to provide more information about conditions at the prison.

Physicians for Human Rights Israel (PHRI), an Israeli rights group, told CNN that the alleged victim — a man in his thirties — was brought to one of Israel’s public hospitals in a life-threatening condition, with injuries to his upper body and his rectum.

“Mounting testimonies indicate these incidents are not isolated. They suggest systematic abuse and violence, and a blind eye to violations,” the PHRI said in a post on X.

According to Al Jazeera, an Israeli medical staffer told the Wall Street Journal about the “shocking” condition of the Palestinian detainee.

“It was pretty horrifying,” the staffer was quoted as saying. “It’s just setting the bar so low that I don’t know how we can deteriorate more morally.”
‘Tip of the iceberg’

Reports from rights organisations, such as the United Nations, and dozens of testimonies from former Palestinian detainees suggest that these incidents are just glimpses of Israel’s systemic abuse of Palestinians.

Palestinians.

“Reports of alleged torture and sexual violence in Israel’s Sde Teiman prison are grossly illegal and revolting, but they only represent the tip of the iceberg,” nine independent rights experts part of the UN’s OHCHR said in a press release issued on August 5.

“Allegations of gang-rape of a Palestinian detainee, now shockingly supported by voices in the Israeli political establishment and society, provide irrefutable evidence that the moral compass is lost,” the experts said.

They cited testimonies that described “detainees in cage-like enclosures, tied to beds blindfolded and in diapers; stripped naked; deprived of adequate healthcare, food, water and sleep; electrocutions including on their genitals; blackmail and cigarette burns”.

“In addition, victims spoke of loud music played until their ears bled, attacks by dogs, waterboarding, suspension from ceilings and severe sexual and gender-based violence,” the UN rapporteurs highlighted.

Israeli soldiers stand by a truck packed with shirtless Palestinian detainees in the Gaza Strip on Dec 8, 2023. — Reuters/File

In a separate report published on July 31, the UN’s human rights office OHCHR said at least 53 detainees from Gaza and the West Bank have died in Israeli detention since the Gaza conflict began on October 7 last year.

Testimonies for the report suggested that Israel had subjected prisoners to “a range of appalling acts, such as waterboarding and the release of dogs on detainees”, UN rights chief Volker Turk was quoted as saying.

Amnesty International said in July that it had documented 27 cases of Palestinians, including five women and a 14-year-old boy, who were detained by Israel “for up to four and a half months” without being able to contact their families.

It demanded that “Israeli authorities must end their indefinite incommunicado detention of Palestinians from the occupied Gaza Strip”.

B’tselem, described by BBC as Israel’s leading human rights organisation, published a 118-page report on August 5 titled ‘Welcome to Hell: The Israeli Prison System as a Network of Torture Camps’.

B’tselem collected testimonies from 55 Palestinians who were released after being incarcerated in Israeli prisons and detention facilities during the ongoing Gaza conflict.

A few of the harrowing testimonies were also covered by the BBC.

Israeli newspaper Haaretz published an editorial titled ‘Corrupted by the Desire for Revenge, Israeli Prisons Have Become Abuse Centers’.

“A litany of violence, threats, sleep deprivation, starvation and humiliation described by dozens of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons […] leaves no room for doubt: the Israeli prison system operates as a facility for abusing inmates,” Haaretz said.

The B’tselem report said the testimonies uncovered a “systemic, institutional policy focused” on the torture of Palestinian prisoners using various methods such as sexual assault, humiliation and degradation, deliberate starvation, forced unhygienic conditions, and sleep deprivation.

It detailed prison conditions and protocols — including overpopulation, no sunlight or ample air, cell searches and living in darkness.

Based on the testimonies, the report also described alleged physical and sexual violence as well as psychological abuse inflicted upon Palestinian detainees.

Other alleged abuses include denial of medical aid, amputation due to torture, food deprivation and starvation, cutting off the water supply for hygiene and drinking, limiting access to shower facilities, and exposure to cold due to open windows.

While such disturbing reports with graphic details continue to surface, it remains to be seen if Israel will face an independent international probe for its alleged human rights abuses.

Header image: Palestinian Moazaz Obaiyat, who was released from Israeli jail, shows marks on his body, in a hospital in Bethlehem, in Israel-occupied West Bank on July 11, 2024. — Reuters

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