Detention Bulletin General detention

figures
February 2010

February 2010

• 343 children detained

• 41 aged 12-15

• No girls in detention

• No children in administrative
detention

Boy arrested by Israeli

soldiers. Photo credit:
BBC

“This interrogator will

beat you, so it‟s better
January 2010 - overview
for you to tell him
There were 343 Palestinian children Palestinian children in Israeli administrative
everything,” detained in Israeli prisons and detention.
temporary detention centres at the
Military Order 1644 purporting to establish
end of February 2010. This represents an
A.G. (14 years old) a juvenile military court has now been in
8% increase.
operation for five months. However, DCI-
There were 41 young children aged 12- Palestine lawyers have noticed few
15 detained at the end of February substantive changes to the practice and
2010, a slight decrease (three children) procedure in the military courts as a result

CONTENTS compared with the previous month.

There are currently no Palestinian girls
of this order.

in Israeli detention facilities and no

General detention figures

450
12 to 15 year olds 400
350
Girls in detention
300
Administrative detention 250 2008
200 2009
Recent case summaries 150 2010
100
Mass arrests
50
Other developments 0
Caption describing picture or
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug graphic.
Sep Oct Nov Dec
Recommendations
Number of Palestinian children in Israeli detention: Jan 2008 - Feb 2010

Page 1 DCI-Palestine ● Detention Bulletin, Issue 2 ● FEBRUARY 2010

 Each year approximately 700 Palestinian children, some as young as 12 years,
FEBRUARY 2010 are detained and prosecuted in the Israeli military court system.
IN FIGURES 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 Total number of Palestinian children in Israeli detention at the end of each month
According to the latest figures since Jan 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
compiled by DCI-Palestine from
sources including the Israeli Prison Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.
Service and Israeli army detention
facilities, there were 343 Palestinian 2008
327 307 325 327 337 323 324 293 304 297 327 342 319
children detained in Israeli prisons
and temporary detention centres
2009 389 423 420 391 346 355 342 339 326 325 306 305 355
inside Israel and the OPT at the end
of February 2010. This represents an
2010 318 343
8% increase compared with the
previous month.

12-15 year olds Number of young (12-15) Palestinians in Israeli detention at the end of each
month since January 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
DCI-Palestine remains concerned
by the high number of young
children between the ages of 12 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.
and 15 being detained. At the end
of February 2010, 41 children in this 2008 38 40 45 39 37 34 33 21 23 23 25 30 32
age category were being held in
Israeli detention facilities, a slight 2009 50 54 53 47 39 47 42 39 40 44 41 42 44
decrease (three children)
compared with the previous month. 2010 44 41

Girls in detention Number of Palestinian girls in Israeli detention at the end of each month since
January 2008 - Note: These figures are not cumulative
There are currently no Palestinian
girls in Israeli detention facilities.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.

2008 2 3 3 4 3 6 6 5 6 6 5 7 4.7

2009 5 7 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 0 0 0 3.8

2010 0 0

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
There are currently no Palestinian
children in Israeli administrative
detention. However, there is still one Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Aver.
young adult being detained who
was a child when he received his 2008 18 3 13 12 10 13 13 13 11 8 5 6 10
administrative detention order
(Rami Shilbayieh). 2009 5 6 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1.8

2010 0 0

Page 2 DCI-Palestine ● Detention Bulletin, Issue 2 ● FEBRUARY 2010

Case summaries
Lawyers and fieldworkers for DCI-
Palestine 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.
„I put on my clothes and
asked the soldier to allow
me say goodbye to my
father and mother but he
refused. He grabbed me
from the back and took me
out of the house.‟
A.G. (14 years old)
„When he first asked me
about throwing stones,
Molotov cocktails and
explosive materials, I
denied it, but someone
behind me hit me on the
head. I became scared and
told him what he wanted to
hear; though I did not throw
any stones, or Molotov
cocktails or explosive
materials.‟
A.G. (14 years old)
A.G.
On 11 February 2010, a 14 year-old boy from the Al-Jalazun refugee camp is arrested
and accused of throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and possessing a knife:
At around 2:00am a large number of Israeli soldiers entered the family home -
prevented from saying goodbye to parents - blindfolded and hands tied behind back
- left out in the cold street for one hour - made to walk with other children to the
nearby settlement of Beit El - cursory medical examination - transfer to Binyamin Police
Station - interrogation - blindfold removed - three interrogators - slapped by one
interrogator - accused of throwing stones - denied the accusation - questioned about
throwing Molotov cocktails and explosive devices - denied accusations - threatened
with beating - offered reduced sentence if confesses - hit on the head - confessed to
accusations although maintains innocence - transfer to Ofer Prison - verbal abuse -
‘your mother’s a c**t, son of a whore' - beaten during transfer - made to strip in front of
female soldier causing embarrassment - detained with adults - next court appearance
on 15 April 2010.
A.N.
On 11 February 2010, a 15-year-old boy from the Al-Jalazun refugee camp, is arrested
and accused of throwing stones, Molotov cocktails, membership of a banned
organisation and throwing two pipe bombs:
At 3:00am, soldiers arrest A.N. and his brother M.N. - blindfolded and hands tied
behind his back - mother asks soldiers what they want and is told to shut up - M.N
returns around 8am having been beaten - taken to Beit El settlement and Ofer Prison –
next court appearance on 11 March.
K.D.
On 11 February 2010, a 15-year-old boy from the Al Jalazun refugee camp, is arrested
and accused of throwing stones, Molotov cocktails and planting an explosive device:
At 2:30am, around 10 Israeli soldiers enter the house - two sons are beaten by soldiers -
slapped and kicked - head slammed into wall - hands tied behind back and
blindfolded - beating continued out in the street - detained Ofer Prison – next court
appearance on 15 March 2010.

If you wish to take action, then
please consider lobbying your
elected representatives and
demand that pressure be applied
on Israeli authorities to cease the
practice of mistreating and
prosecuting Palestinian children as
young as 12 in military courts, and
detaining them inside Israel.
***
URGENT APPEALS
 UA 1/10 – Al Jalazun
***
For further information please read
DCI-Palestine’s latest report on
Palestinian child prisoners:
Palestinian Child Prisoners: The
systematic and institutionalised ill-
treatment and torture of Palestinian
children by Israeli authorities
***
The Detention Bulletin is a monthly
publication produced by Defence
for Children International-Palestine
Section. To subscribe, go to
www.dci-pal.org
For further information contact an
advocacy officer at ria@dci-pal.org
Page 4
Mass arrest of children from Al Jalazun refugee camp
On 11 February 2010, at least 17 children were arrested by soldiers in the middle of the
night from their homes in the Al Jalazun Camp, near Ramallah. DCI-Palestine has
received reports that the arrests were accompanied by excessive violence which
continued during the subsequent interrogations. The children are accused of various
offences including throwing stones. This is not an isolated incident. On 29 September
2009, DCI-Palestine submitted 11 cases to the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture arising
out of three incidents in 2009 where the Israeli army entered Palestinian villages in the
middle of the night and rounded up children en masse, accusing them of throwing
stones at the Wall and settler by-pass roads in the West Bank. DCI-Palestine has issued
an Urgent Appeal in the Al Jalazun case – UA 1/10. On 2 March 2010, in response to a
Parliamentary question about the arrests, Britain’s Foreign Secretary, David Milliband
said he was not aware of the case ‘but I shall certainly look into it. It is important that
the message goes out very clearly that we expect all sides to live up to their
international, as well as domestic obligations, under international law.’
Other developments
On 16 February 2010, Mohammad Baran (UA 3/09) was released after spending
almost two years in Israeli administrative detention without charge or trial. Mohammad
was first arrested on 1 March 2008 and received seven administrative detention
orders. DCI-Palestine issued an Urgent Appeal on behalf of Mohammad Baran and
submitted a complaint to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention. Thank you to
everybody who responded to the Urgent Appeal.
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 mistreatment and torture, that the Israeli
authorities:
1. Ensure that no child is interrogated in the absence of a lawyer of their choice
and family member;
2. Ensure that all interrogations of children are video recorded;
3. 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.
DCI-Palestine ● Detention Bulletin, Issue 2 ● FEBRUARY 2010