Detention Bulletin

September 2011
September 2011
The Guardian Palestinian children woken in night to be photographed by soldiers Middle East Monitor Forget the distractions; the realities of Israels occupation demand its end
The Independent Military

General detention figures

whistleblower indiscriminate attacks

tells

of Israeli
East Jerusalem - Photo credit: GhtH

In their own Words: A report on the situation facing Palestinian children detained in occupied East Jerusalem (September 2011) DETENTION FIGURES 164 children detained ( 9%) 35 aged 12-15 ( 3%) 0 girls in detention 0 children detention in administrative

September 2011 - Overview

This month saw a decrease in the number of children prosecuted in the Israeli military courts and imprisoned. The detention figures fell by nine percent (16 children) compared with the previous month. During the same period, the number of young children (12-15 years) in detention increased by three percent (one child). On 7 September, DCI submitted a complaint to the Israeli authorities on behalf 17-year-old Ahmad R. The complaint requests that the Judge Advocate General opens an investigation into allegations that Ahmad was mistreated by Israeli soldiers in May 2011. Also in September, a group of senior UK lawyers, including the Shadow Attorney General Baroness Scotland, visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory to review the situation facing Palestinian children prosecuted in Israeli military courts. On 27 September, the Israeli military authorities issued Military Order 1676, raising the age of majority in the military courts from 16 to 18 years. DCI welcomes the change but continues to hold serious concerns regarding the treatment of Palestinian children as young as 12 years in the military courts. Of particular concern are persistent credible reports of torture and illtreatment, and the interrogation of children in the absence of their parents.

CONTENTS
12 to 15 year olds Girls in detention Administrative detention Recent case summaries Other developments Recommendations
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500 400 300 200 100 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun
Caption describing picture or graphic.

2008 2009 2010 2011

Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Number of Palestinian children in Israeli detention: Jan 2008 Sep 2011

DCI-Palestine Detention Bulletin, Issue 21 September 2011

September 2011 IN FIGURES

Each year approximately 700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years, are detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system. The most common charge is for throwing stones. The overwhelming majority of these children are detained inside Israel in contravention of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Total number of Palestinian children in Israeli detention at the end of each month since Jan 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2008 2009 2010 2011 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

Total
According to the latest figures compiled by DCI-Palestine from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and Israeli army temporary detention facilities, there were 164 Palestinian children (12-17 years) in Israeli detention at the end of September 2011. This represents a decrease of 16 children (9%) from the previous month.

327 389 318 222

307 423 343 221

325 420 342 226

327 391 335 220

337 346 305 211

323 355 291 209

324 342 284 202

293 339 286 180

304 326 269 164

297 325 256 -

327 306 228 -

342 305 213 -

319 355 289 206

12-15 year olds

In September there was a small increase in the number of young children (12-15 years) being prosecuted in Israeli military courts and receiving custodial sentences in prisons inside Israel. As at the end of September, there were 35 young children in detention, an increase of one child (3%) from the previous month.

Number of young (12-15) Palestinians in Israeli detention at the end of each month since January 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2008 2009 2010 2011 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

38 50 44 34

40 54 41 45

45 53 39 45

39 47 32 37

37 39 25 38

34 47 23 38

33 42 18 40

21 39 20 34

23 40 32 35

23 44 34 -

25 41 32 -

30 42 30 -

32 44 31 38

Girls in detention
There are currently no Palestinian girls being held in Israeli detention facilities.

Number of Palestinian girls in Israeli detention at the end of each month since January 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2008 2009 2010 2011 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

2 5 0 1

3 7 0 0

3 6 0 0

4 6 1 0

3 6 0 0

6 5 0 0

6 4 0 0

5 3 0 0

6 3 0 0

6 0 0 -

5 0 1 -

7 0 1 -

4.7 3.8 0.3 0.1

Administrative detention
There are currently no Palestinian children being held without charge or trial in Israeli administrative detention.

Number of Palestinian children held in Israeli administrative detention at the end of each month since January 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2008 2009 2010 2011 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

18 5 0 1

3 6 0 0

13 2 2 0

12 2 2 0

10 1 2 0

13 1 2 0

13 1 2 0

13 1 2 0

11 1 2 0

8 1 2 -

5 1 2 -

6 0 1 -

10 1.8 1.6 0.1

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DCI-Palestine Detention Bulletin, Issue 21 September 2011

Urgent Appeals
UA 4/11 Children of Azzun UA 3/11 Settler violence UA 2/11 Children of Silwan UA 4/10 Children of the Gravel

Ibrahim Z. (16 years) On 6 September 2011, a 16-year-old boy from Beit Hannina, East Jerusalem, is arrested by Israeli police at 6:00 am: Four policemen arrested Ibrahim from his home Refused to say why he was being arrested - When Ibrahim's father asked to see an arrest warrant he was told to 'shut up' Ibrahim was handcuffed with his hands in front and taken to Al Mascobiyya interrogation centre He was kicked several times when being taken out of the vehicle - Ibrahim was kept standing for three hours whilst still handcuffed - Interrogated and accused of throwing stones at the new tram operating in East Jerusalem - Denied the accusation and he was then slapped in the face by the interrogator - Ibrahim's father was then allowed into the interrogation room but was removed shortly afterwards for asking the interrogator not to shout at his son - After his father left the room, the interrogator again started to hit Ibrahim and threatened to give him an electric shock if he did not confess Ibrahim confessed to throwing a stone at a police car because he was scared - Ibrahim also signed documents written in Hebrew which he did not understand - currently detained in Al Mascobiyya - At no time was Ibrahim informed of his right to silence.

Voices from the Occupation

Voices Nadeem and Jihad Voices Sexual assault Voices 7-year-old summonsed Voices Confession in Hebrew Voices The cost of settlements Voices - Prison visits Voices House arrest, no school Voices Electric shocks Voices Electric shocks Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Admin. Detention Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Taken to a settlement Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices Silwan, East Jerusalem Voices 9-year-old arrested Voices 12-year-old from Azzun Voices Boy from Qalandiya

Rami D. (14 years) On 21 September 2011, a 14-year-old boy from East Jerusalem is arrested at 5:00 am and accused of throwing stones: Rami woke to the sound of shouting in his house - He came out of his bedroom and saw five Israeli soldiers - They told Rami's father that they had an arrest warrant but then knocked him down when he asked to see it - "That is not your business" - Rami was handcuffed with his hands behind his back and taken outside to a waiting vehicle - Inside the vehicle soldiers slapped him across the face and neck causing his head to bang into the window - transferred to Al Mascobiyya interrogation centre - On arrival at the centre Rami was made to sit facing a wall for four hours with his hands still tied - After four hours Rami was taken for interrogation - Initially his father was not present - The interrogator accused him of throwing stones which he denied - The interrogator then started to slap Rami - Ill force you to confess because I have pictures that prove you threw stones, When Rami asked to see the photographs the interrogator beat him again and pushed him to the floor - The interrogator then grabbed Rami by the hair and put him back on the chair - Rami's father was then allowed into the interrogation room and asked what had happened to his son after he saw his face was red - the interrogator told Rami's father to "shut-up or leave" and they argued - Rami's father was then removed from the interrogation room - The interrogator then threatened Rami with 10 days imprisonment and solitary confinement - Rami began to cry and the interrogator gave him some papers in Hebrew to sign but he refused - Rami was not informed of his right to silence. Abed D. (15 years) On 14 September 2011, a 15-year-old boy from Azzun, in the West Bank, is arrested by Israeli soldiers at 2:00 am: Soldiers arrived at the house at 2:00 am and led Abed outside Hands tied with a single plastic cord behind his back and blindfolded Slapped across the face Forced to sit on the floor of a military vehicle Threatened Transferred to Zufin settlement Later transferred to Ariel settlement Hands untied and blindfold removed for interrogation Accused of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails Denied the accusations You better confess or Ill break your head Confessed to throwing stones because he was scared Transferred to Megiddo prison inside Israel, in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Case summaries
Lawyers and fieldworkers for DCIPalestine collect sworn affidavits from Palestinian children in prison and upon their release. These affidavits are taken in Arabic and further reviewed by trained staff to determine appropriate follow up action. Each year, around 100 of these affidavits are translated into English from which these brief case summaries are produced. Additional case summaries are available upon request.

Media Archive: 2009-2011

The Independent Time BBC BBC Radio Haaretz AlJazeera Haaretz Haaretz Haaretz ABC Radio Haaretz Haaretz Haaretz Haaretz Haaretz Haaretz CNN AFP Haaretz Channel 2 (Israel) Haaretz Jerusalem Post AFP Haaretz Politics.Co.UK Haaretz MEP UK MP Haaretz Aljazeera Palestine Note BBC Aljazeera The Guardian IRIN The National The Economist The Independent The Independent

UN Special Rapporteur on Torture: Abolish solitary confinement for children In September, the UN Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, Juan E. Mndez, submitted an interim report to the General Assembly focusing on the use of solitary confinement (A/66/268). In his report, the Special Rapporteur stated that: the imposition of solitary confinement, of any duration, on juveniles is cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and violates article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 16 of the Convention against Torture. Accordingly, the Special Rapporteur concluded that the use of solitary confinement for children should be abolished. This conclusion confirms statements made by the Committee on the Rights of the Child which held that placing children in solitary confinement must be strictly forbidden. (General Comment No. 10 paragraph 89) New report submitted to UN Special Rapporteur on Torture On 22 September 2011, DCI-Palestine submitted a report to the UN highlighting the situation facing Palestinian children detained in East Jerusalem. The report covers a six month period between 1 January and 30 June 2011, during which time DCI-Palestine represented 118 children and collected 16 sworn testimonies. In 80 percent of the cases the children were accused of throwing stones. The findings of the report based on 16 testimonies include: 100% of children were not informed of their right to silence. 69% of children were interrogated in the absence of their parents. 50% of children reported being subjected to physical violence. 44% of children reported being threatened. 44% of children reported being shown, or signing, documentation written in Hebrew. 31% of children reported being arrested at night.

For further information please read DCI-Palestines report on Palestinian child prisoners:

Recommendations
No child should be prosecuted in military courts which lack comprehensive fair trial and juvenile justice standards. DCI-Palestine recommends that as a minimum safeguard in the light of consistent reports of ill-treatment and torture, the following: Child detention report: Palestinian Child Prisoners: The systematic and institutionalised ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities To subscribe, go to www.dcipal.org. For further information contact an advocacy officer at ria@dci-pal.org 1. Ensure that no child is interrogated in the absence of a lawyer of their choice and family member; 2. 3. Ensure that all interrogations of children are audio-visually recorded; Ensure that all evidence suspected of being obtained through ill-treatment or torture be rejected by the military courts;

4. Ensure that all credible allegations of ill-treatment and torture be thoroughly and
impartially investigated and those found responsible for such abuse be brought to justice.

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DCI-Palestine Detention Bulletin, Issue 20 August 2011