The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today reiterated its urgent call for the immediate and unconditional release of Palestinian pediatrician and Gaza hospital director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya following new reports of torture while in Israeli custody.
The renewed demand comes in response to reports highlighted by Erika Guevara Rosas, Senior Director for Research, Advocacy, Policy & Campaigns at Amnesty International. Guevara Rosas raised alarm over reports that Dr. Abu Safiya has been subjected to repeated beatings, deliberate sleep deprivation, and threats intended to prevent him from speaking out about his detention conditions.
Dr. Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in North Gaza, was kidnapped during an Israeli military raid on the facility on December 27, 2024. Amnesty International has previously called for his release, as has CAIR.
In a statement, Washington, D.C.-based CAIR said:
“We join in Amnesty International’s demand for the immediate and unconditional end to the torture and illegal detention of Dr. Abu Safiya. We also demand that he be granted immediate access to independent medical care, legal representation, and international monitors. Israel’s torture and abuse of Palestinian prisoners – that is bragged about by top officials – must end.”
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]