Israel tells UN 'secret' detention center is empty

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Israel's intelligence agency has stopped using a detention facility where Palestinians and others were allegedly held in isolation, an Israeli government official told a UN torture watchdog Wednesday. Human rights groups say the detention center, known as Facility 1391, may have violated international law and UN experts questioned Israel about it at a hearing in Geneva this week. Deputy State Attorney for Special Affairs Shai Nitzan told the UN Committee Against Torture that the Israel Security Agency, better know as Shin Bet, "has not used this facility for years, and actually no detainee was held there since September 2006."