Israel has stepped using psychological torture against Palestinian detainees to compel them to co-operate, a human rights group has said.

'Israel ups psychological torture'
Sun, 13 Apr 2008 18:06:43 presstv

As an example, the Israeli agents try to break their victims by insinuating that the suspects families would be hurt if they fail to cooperate, reported Sunday the Public Committee Against Torture.
The regime has put more emphasis on psychological torture since physical torture became illegal in Israel in 1999, added the 86-page report which examined six cases over the past year.

In one case, the group said, Israeli agents convinced a suspect his wife had also been arrested and tortured, driving him to attempt suicide.
In another, they detained a couple for an extended period, tortured them physically, and withheld information about their two young children.
Israeli internal security agency, Shin Bet, has added using relatives as leverage during interrogations, Yoav Loeff, a spokesman for the human rights group, said.
"They use family members to force people to confess and they cross all the red lines along the way,'' he said.
The Shin Bet is notorious for various cases of human rights abuses against Palestinians.
It has also been under criticism for its new methods, which include shackling suspects in contorted positions and depriving them of sleep for long periods of time.

DT/DT