A Palestinian man claiming he was tortured by the Shin Bet filed a petition with the High Court of Justice on Sunday demanding an inquiry be launched into what he described as cruel and inhumane treatment by his interrogators.

Allah Nasser Salem, 22, from Ramllah, and the Public Committee Against Torture claimed that they have yet to receive an answer to a complaint filed six months after the alleged abuse in October-November 2008 in which they demanded a criminal investigation against the interrogators.

The petition states that Salem was arrested in his home in Ramallah in October 2008 and transferred to a detention center in Jerusalem. According to Salem, he was kept in solitary confinement for three days during which he was not questioned in a cold cell infested with cockroaches and spiders.

He also claims that he was abused during his time in custody. According to Salem he was prevented sleep for hours in which he was sat on a chair with his hands chained. He further claims that he was returned to his cell with both his hands and legs chained to the bed and was denied access to food and toilet.

According to the petition, men in civilian attire came into his cell after he asked to go to the bathroom and tightened his cuffs while swearing at him in Arabic. Salem claims that one of the men hit him with a baton and another hit him in the nose with his helmet which caused him to lose consciousness.