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Detention Bulletin

September 2012
DETENTION FIGURES 189 children detained ( 3%) 28 aged 12-15 ( 7%) 0 children in Admin. Detention 1 girl in detention RECENT DEVELOPMENTS New DCI film Alone: Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system New CAABU report No Security in Injustice Update Children prosecuted in Israeli military courts Al Jazeera Palestinian child prisoners abused The Cornerstone Breaking a Generation New Statesman How G4S helps Israel break the Geneva Convention Breaking the Silence A soldiers story: Until someone comes and picks them up Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesperson suggests authorities unaware of claims that child detainees are mistreated The Independent Israel and the Occupied Territories are much changed Yet peace seems more distant than ever Urgent Appeal transfer of children
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September 2012 Overview


This month saw a 3 percent decrease in the number of children prosecuted in the Israeli military courts and imprisoned. However, there has been a 40 percent increase in the number of children held in military detention since December 2011. This month also saw a 7 percent decrease in the number of young children (12-15 year) being detained. On 23 September, Al Jazeera English aired a report on Palestinian child detainees Palestinian child prisoners abused the report referred to allegations that hundreds of Palestinian children are arrested by the Israeli military every year and exposed to illtreatment and a lack of fair trial rights when prosecuted in military courts. In response to the report, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) stated that: No such evidence has been shared with the Israeli authorities. Following this extraordinary response by the MOFA, DCI issued a statement providing examples of allegations of mistreatment that have been brought to the attention of the authorities. It is of concern that the statement by the MOFA appears to demonstrate an alarming level of institutional denial and a refusal to effectively deal with serious allegations of child abuse.

500 400 300 200 100 0 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Caption describing picture or graphic.

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

Forcible

Number of Palestinian children in Israeli detention: Jan 2008 Sep 2012


DCI-Palestine Detention Bulletin, Issue 33 September 2012

September 2012 IN FIGURES

Each year approximately 500 - 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 2009 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2009 2010 2011 2012 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

Total
According to the latest figures compiled by DCI from sources including the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and Israeli army temporary detention facilities, there were 189 Palestinian children (12-17 years) in Israeli detention at the end of September 2012. This represents a decrease of 6 children (3%) from the previous month.

389 318 222 170

423 343 221 187

420 342 226 206

391 335 220 220

346 305 211 234

355 291 209 221

342 284 202 211

339 286 180 195

326 269 164 189

325 256 150 -

306 228 161 -

305 213 135 -

355 289 192 204

12-15 year olds


In September there was a decrease 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 28 young children in detention, a decrease of two children (7%) from the previous month.

Number of young (12-15) Palestinians in Israeli detention at the end of each month since January 2009 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2009 2010 2011 2012 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

50 44 34 26

54 41 45 24

53 39 45 31

47 32 37 33

39 25 38 39

47 23 38 35

42 18 40 34

39 20 34 30

40 32 35 28

44 34 30 -

41 32 33 -

42 30 19 -

44 31 36 31

Girls in detention
There is currently one Palestinian girl being held in Israeli detention. The 17-year-old girl from Hebron was arrested at a checkpoint on 26 July 2012, after been found in possession of a knife and pepper spray which she is accused of using on a female soldier.

Number of Palestinian girls in Israeli detention at the end of each month since January 2009 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2009 2010 2011 2012 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

5 0 1 0

7 0 0 0

6 0 0 0

6 1 0 0

6 0 0 0

5 0 0 0

4 0 0 1

3 0 0 1

3 0 0 1

0 0 0 -

0 1 0 -

0 1 1 -

3.8 0.3 0.2 0.3

Administrative detention
There are currently no Palestinian children being held without charge or trial in Israeli administrative detention. DCI continues to recommend that no child should be the subject of administrative detention and Israeli military law should be amended to reflect this position.

Number of Palestinian children held in Israeli administrative detention at the end of each month since January 2009 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
Jan 2009 2010 2011 2012 Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

5 0 1 0

6 0 0 0

2 2 0 0

2 2 0 0

1 2 0 0

1 2 0 0

1 2 0 0

1 2 0 0

1 2 0 0

1 2 0 -

1 2 0 -

0 1 1 -

1.8 1.6 0.2 0

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DCI-Palestine Detention Bulletin, Issue 33 September 2012

Urgent Appeals
UA 3/12 Children of the Sea UA 2/12 Forcible transfer UA 1/12 Solitary confinement UA 6/11 Children of BeitUmmar UA 4/11 Children of Azzun UA 3/11 Settler violence

Voices from the Occupation


Name: Mahmoud S. Date of incident: 8 September 2012 Age: 17 Location: Azzun village, West Bank Accusation: Throwing stones On 8 September 2012, a 17-year-old boy from the village of Azzun, in the occupied West Bank, is arrested by Israeli soldiers and accused of throwing stones at a road used by settlers. At around 3:00 p.m. I was near the main road near my village which is used by Israeli settlers, says Mahmoud. A short time later an Israeli army jeep arrived on the scene and some soldiers started to chase Mahmoud. The soldiers shouted at Mahmoud to stop and he did. They approached me and one of them knocked me down and started beating me for about five minutes. Then they tied my hands behind my back with a single plastic tie which was so tight and painful I screamed. Another soldier hit me on the head and told me to shut up in Arabic. Mahmoud recalls also being blindfolded and then being made to walk to the jeep whilst somebody kept hitting him from behind. He was pushed into the jeep and reports being slapped and kicked once inside. About 10 minutes later the jeep arrived at the illegal Israeli settlement of Zufin. On arrival at the settlment Mahmouds shoes were removed and he was forced to walk over rocks and thorns. I asked for some water and was brought a bottle. I drank and it was bitter, and then I realised they had given me beer. I spat it out and could hear laughter, recalls Mahmoud. He was then searched and made to sit outside for about two hours. About two hours later Mahmoud was placed back in a vehicle and transferred to Huwwara interrogation centre, outside the West Bank city of Nablus. He was detained in a room until the next morning and was not given anything to eat or drink. I asked a soldier to bring me some food and eventually he brought and empty plate and told me to eat. The other soldiers started laughing at me, recalls Mahmoud. The next morning Mahmoud was transferred to Salem interrogation centre, near the West Bank city of Jenin. When I arrived I was taken to a small room and my hands and feet were still shackled. An interrogator then arrived and said: Ill question you and you better tell me everything you did because if you dont this will last for hours and be hard. Prior to questioning, Mahmoud was not given an opportunity to consult with a lawyer and says he was not informed of his rights. Neither of Mahmouds parents were present, a right generally afforded to Israeli settler children when questioned. The interrogator accused Mahmoud of throwing stones and Molotov cocktails. He confessed to throwing one stone but denied throwing Molotov cocktails. He grabbed me and lifted me off the chair and started slapping me across the face, while shouting at me and calling me a liar and cursing my father, recalls Mahmoud. The interrogation lasted for about two hours but Mahmoud refused to confess to anything more than throwing one stone. He was then made to sign a statement written in Arabic which he says he was not given an opportunity to read. Following his interrogation, Mahmoud was transferred to Megiddo prison, inside Israel. The transfer and detention of Mahmoud to a prison inside Israel was in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention. Mahmoud reports being strip searched on arrival.

Voices from the Occupation


Qusai A. - On 7 August 2012, a 16-year-old boy from the village of Kufr Qaddum, in the occupied West Bank, is arrested by Israeli soldiers at 3:30 am and accused of throwing stones and participating in a demonstration. Said Q. On 28 August 2012, a 14-year-old boy from Abu Dis, in occupied East Jerusalem, is beaten by Israeli soldiers and/or Border Police on his way to buy milk for his little sister. Ayman F. On 5 September 2012, a 17-year-old boy from Nablus, in the occupied West Bank, is arrested by Israeli soldiers at 3 am and accused of throwing stones at Israeli military jeeps. Rakan M. - On 8 September 2012, a 16-year-old boy from the village of Azzun, in the occupied West Bank, is arrested by Israeli soldiers and accused of throwing stones at a road used by settlers. More

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.

Media Archive: The Australian Israeli soldiers break silence on abuse The Guardian Former Israeli soldiers disclose routine mistreatment of Palestinian children The Independent Israel breaks silence over army abuses The Guardian Palestinian children woken in night to be photographed by soldiers Sydney Morning Herald Israeli soldiers expose plight of Palestinian children Haaretz Nearly 100% of all military court cases in West Bank end in conviction
More For information on Palestinian Child Prisoners read: Bound, Blindfolded and Convicted: Children held in military detention

Findings of UK Foreign Office report largely ignored In June 2012, a delegation of lawyers from the UK, including a former Attorney General and a Court of Appeal judge published a report on children in the Israeli military court system. The Foreign Office funded report - Children in Military Custody - found that Israeli authorities were in breach of at least six international legal obligations in regards to Palestinian children held in military detention. The report concluded by making 40 practical recommendations which the Israeli embassy in London said would be studied closely as part of its ongoing efforts to find the most appropriate balance between preventing violence and treating perpetrators with humanity." Included in these recommendations were: A requirement that children be allowed to consult with a lawyer prior to interrogation; A requirement that children should have a parent or guardian present prior to and during their interrogation; All interrogations should be audio-visually recorded; and A requirement that all Palestinian children detained under Israeli military law should be held in facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and not in Israel, which constitutes a breach of article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

As of 13 October 2012, none of the 40 recommendations have been implemented. A full statement regarding recent changes to Israeli military law is available on-line. Recommendations
No child should be prosecuted in military courts which lack comprehensive fair trial

Recent reports
Breaking the Silence Soldiers Testimonies: Children and Youth UK lawyers Children in Military Custody

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: 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;

Recent reports
BTselem No Minor Matter Breaking the Silence Soldiers Testimonies: false confessions PHR CoercedChildren and Youth UK lawyers Children and to For more information in Military Custody subscribe to this bulletin, please visit www.dci-palestine.org BTselem No Minor Matter
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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.

PHR Coerced false confessions

DCI-Palestine Detention Bulletin, Issue 33 September 2012

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