A/HRC/34/54/Add.3 282. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of Israel has not replied to present communication, thereby failing to cooperate with the mandate issued by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 25/13. 283. In the absence of information to the contrary, the Special Rapporteur concludes that there is substance to the allegations presented in the initial communication, available via the link above and thus, that the Government) of Israel has engaged in systematic illtreatment of Palestinian detainees at the Shikma Prison in Ashkelon by maintaining deplorable conditions at the detention centers, including inadequate access to light and healthcare, sleep deprivation, inadequate heating; by torturing detainees to obtain confessions; and by subjecting detainees to prolonged solitary confinement, thereby violating their right to be free from torture or cruel or degrading treatment as provided by Article 1, 2 and 16 of the Convention against Torture (CAT). 284. In the Special Rapporteur’s interim report to the General Assembly of 5 August 2011 (A/66/268), he defined solitary confinement, in accordance with the Istanbul Statement on the Use and Effects of Solitary Confinement, as the physical and social isolation of individuals who are confined in their cells for 22 to 24 hours a day. He observed that while solitary confinement for short periods of time may be justified under certain circumstances, with adequate and effective safeguards in place, the use of prolonged (in excess of 15 days) or indefinite solitary confinement may never constitute a legitimate instrument of the State, as it may cause severe mental and physical pain or suffering. The Special Rapporteur recalls paragraph 28 of the General Assembly resolution 68/156, stating that prolonged or indefinite solitary confinement runs afoul of the absolute prohibition of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, due to the prisoner’s lack of communication, as well as the lack of witnesses inside the prison, solitary confinement may also give rise to other acts of torture or ill-treatment. 285. With respect to the conditions of imprisonment, the Special Rapporteur directs the Government to the Nelson Mandela Rules (the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners), which establish minimum standards of healthy accommodation (Rule 13) and adequate and prompt provision of health care (Rules 24 and 27). 286. The Special Rapporteur strongly urges the Government of Israel to put an immediate end to torture and bring the conditions of detention at the Shikma Interrogation Facility into accord with the state’s obligations under international law, and to comply with its obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish all acts of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, as codified, inter alia, in the CAT. JUA 18/07/2016 Case No. ISR 7/2016 State Reply: None to date Allegations of the arbitrary arrest, detention, torture and ill-treatment of, and denial of due process and fair trial guarantees to two Palestinian children, aged 15 and 13. 287. The Special Rapporteur regrets that the Government of Israel has not replied to the present communication, thereby failing to cooperate with the mandate issued by the Human Rights Council in its resolution 25/13. 288. In the absence of information, the Special Rapporteur concludes that there is substance in the allegations presented in the initial communication, available via the link above. Thus, the Special Rapporteur concludes that the Government of Israel, by failing to protect the physical and psychological integrity of two Palestinian children, aged 15 and 13, and by subjecting them to torture, ill-treatment, and arbitrary arrest and 54