Today 18 May 2010, Mr. Ameer Makhoul, the director of the Arab NGO network "Ittijah" and a human rights defender, met with his legal defense team after the order prohibiting his meeting with a lawyer was lifted last night by the Petakh Tikvah Magistrates’ Court during an extension of detention hearing held on the case. In the meeting today, the legal defense team - comprised of Attorney Hussein Abu Hussein and Adalah Attorneys Orna Kohn and Hassan Jabareen - found that during the twelve days in which they were not allowed to meet with Mr. Makhoul that the General Security Services (GSS or Shabak) interrogators had used prohibited methods of interrogation in violation of the absolute prohibition on torture under international law and Israeli Supreme Court decisions.

The concerns of the legal defense team were raised last night, the first time that the lawyers met Mr. Makhoul since his arrest and detention on 6 May 2010.

After the meeting today, the suspicions of the legal defense team about Mr. Makhoul being subject to torture were heightened, especially after their request to release his medical records was refused. The legal defense team is considering legal actions concerning this matter.

The court has extended Mr. Makhoul's detention until Thursday 20 May 2010.

For more information on the cases, see:
http://www.adalah.org/eng/pressreleases/pr.php?file=10_05_10
http://www.adalah.org/eng/pressreleases/pr.php?file=12_05_10
http://www.adalah.org/eng/pressreleases/pr.php?file=16_05_10_1
http://www.adalah.org/eng/pressreleases/pr.php?file=18_05_10