6.1 Type of rule: Act

i. Type of Rule: Act

ii. Definition - a single, indivisible act involving 2 persons or organizations in the context of an event.

iii. Links

a. Subject: the subject of an act is the person or organization who initiated the action. The subject could be a specified or unknown person, organization, or class of people.

b. Object: the object of an act is the person or organization who received the action.

c. Event: the event defines the context of other acts, interventions, or ramifications of the act in which this act occurs.

iv. Time Structure - an act occurs at a single point in time.

a. Action: the action defines exactly what was committed by the subject against the object.

b. Location: the location defines exactly where the act occurred.

a. An act of violence could be of many types. It could be an act of torture, an arrest, or a killing. The key to these acts is that the action committed is violent, distinguishing this kind of act from other acts. Possible violent actions would include items chosen from HURIDOCS Supporting Documents J, Type of Event (Dueck and Noval et al. 1993b).

b. Legal norm violations represent the same acts as acts of violence but from a legal, rather than from a narrative perspective. Acts of violence describe occurrences in the world by a literal explanation ("Lt. Mendoza executed by shooting Juan Pueblo"). Legal norm violations describe the same occurrences by an interpretation in legal terms ("Lt. Mendoza violated the National Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights against Juan Pueblo"). The CATEGORY of the verbs for legal norm violations would include a list of the national, regional, and international laws, conventions, and protocols which govern the rights of citizens vis-a-vis their governments.

c. The facts of the case include complaints, investigations, charges, and defense motions, among other legal definitions of fact.

d. Among the kinds of legal decisions an agency might want to represent could be judgements, sentences, or appeal decisions.

The victim (V0050290) was arrested in Ramallah on 1 December 1989 and taken to al-Moscobiya detention center where he was severely beaten, deprived of sleep and sufficient food, choked to the point of losing consciousness, and subjected to the "shabeh," whereby the prisoner is forced to stand for prolonged periods in the open, with his head covered and hands tied behind his back, exposed to all weather conditions. Ten days later (i.e., 11 Dec 89) he was transferred to Ramallah prison, where some of this treatment continued. Whilst there, his arm was apparently broken by a Shabak (intelligence) officer known as "Max" (P0502901), although it was only two weeks later that he was taken to a hospital and his arm put in a cast. Following an extension of his detention order by a judge on 17 December, he was returned to Moscobiya prison. He began a hunger strike on 7 Jan 90. (Dueck et al. 1993a:29, ff.)

26.1      al-Moscobiya detention center
26.2      Ramallah prison
40        intelligence service
60        judiciary
05.211    Slapping, kicking, or punching
05.261    strangling
05.272    "planton" or forced standing
05.65     bound
05.41     deprived of food
05.43     deprived of sleep
05.2141   breaking bones - arm
05.44     deprived of medical attention
04.071    extension of administrative detention
D3        Convention against torture (1984)
A2        International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)