Unlawful Strip Searches of Female Protesters
- ACRI
- 15 minutes ago
- 2 min read
On June 25, 2025, we approached the Inspector General of Police, the Legal Advisor to the Police, and the Attorney General, following two incidents in Jerusalem in which police carried out partial or full strip searches on two women who were detained at protests. The details of the incidents raise major concerns about the systematic abuse of female protesters aimed at humiliating and degrading in order to deter protesters, especially female protesters, from participating in additional protests. Other protesters who had been arrested previously for participating in protests also reported that they underwent unjustified strip searches.
In the appeal, Elza Bugnet and Attorney Eden Gilad, Coordinator of the Freedom of Protest Department, argued that conducting a full strip search on a detained protestor is a violation of the right to privacy and dignity, and constitutes a flagrant deviation from police authority. Moreover, conducting a partial strip search, although permissible under certain circumstances, was disproportionate and unreasonable in the extreme in the existing circumstances, and amounts to an abuse of authority. The women were arrested on suspicion of minor and non-violent offenses, and did not raise concerns that would require a strip search rather than a less invasive alternative. The appeal details the ways in which the police acted improperly, violently, and intrusively, constituting a serious violation of the constitutional right of the detainees to dignity, security, and privacy, and may amount to sexual harassment. We submitted a request to investigate the cases, and demanded action to clarify procedures among all levels of law enforcement and to prevent similar cases in the future.
ACRI's appeal, June 25, 2025 (Heb)
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