Hurryyat: 270 Children in Ofer Prison, 10 of whom are 13

Ramallah – Hurryyat |Hurryyat Center issued a detailed report on the children conditions in Ofer prison who are exposed to harsh detaining conditions and continuous violations by the prison administration according to the visit of the center’s lawyer Ibtisam Anati to Ofer prison who inspected the conditions of children. She met prisoner Akram Amin Hamid from Silwad, sentenced to 17 years in prison, prisoner Abdul Fatah Doleh in charge of the children in Ofer prison, prisoner Shadi Shalaldeh national speaker of Ofer prison, and Mohammad Ariqat from Abu Dis.

Prisoner Akram Hammad said that Ofer prison has not witnessed any stability due to transfers between prisons and the daily arrests at the beginning of the popular outburst which caused pressure in prison, but the current situation is much better than before.

Prisoner Abdul Fattah said that the number of children prisoners has currently reached 270 children dispersed over three sections in prison (13, 18, 20), two of which were recently opened by the end of November and early December due to the increased numbers of children detainees, the crowded sections of Megiddo and HaSharon prisons, and the closure of Giv’on section in al Ramla prison due to its bad living conditions.

Doleh also clarified that:

1. Since the beginning of 2015, 605 children have been arrested, detained, and exposed to trials

In January (34), February (29), March (29), April (35), May (30), June (21), July (21), August (42), September (32), October (151), November (114), December (67).

Since the beginning of January until September, the rate of children detainees remained one child a day, but in October – the beginning of the popular outburst – the rate increased from one child a day to 5 children and decreased in November to 3 children a day.

The number of children detainees in September, October, and November exceeded the total of the past 9 months. Hence, the number of children prisoners the past nine months reached 276 while the total number of the last three months totaled 332 children prisoners.

2. The detention of children was not limited to Children aged between 16 and 18, but often dropped to 15, and at times even 13.

The following data shows the number of children detainees aged 15 and below during 2015:

In January (1), February (1), March (2), April (10), May (5), June (2), July (7), August (13), September (6), October (51), November (37), December (19).

The children who did not exceed the age of 13 are:

Ahmad Luay, Tawfeeq Amro, Ahmad Mohammad Al-Sa’da, Ghassan Issa Shawaheen, Abdel Muhsen Hammal, Osama Abu Khalifa, Malek Ayech Abu Mariya, Yousif Nazmi Atta, Yazan Mohammad Yassin, Mohammad Eyad Al-Sweiti, Mohammad Abdel Hafiz Murrar.

3. The detention of children was not confined to arrests from the streets, in clashes, checkpoints or the apartheid wall, but reached the state of organized house arrests of children with military Units, Intelligence, and the so-called Elite IDF unit, for being suspected of throwing stones at soldiers and settlers.
4. during the detention and interrogation, children are exposed to various aggressions and violations that disregard their childhood exposing them to insults and curses concerned with the mother and sister, physical pushing, beatings with hands and bludgeon and rifles, and leg kicking. Numbers show the following: July (3), August (9), September (10), November (26), December (3), and 99 in total.

October, witnessing the popular outburst, had the largest share of attacks whether in detention or interrogation centers in settlements and other places. Regarding interrogation, the children were not exempt from physical and psychological interrogation for long days and some were even taken into “Asafeer “sections (sections with undercover informants). Also, the interrogation would last longer than two days reaching more than 30 days.

5. 2015 recorded large numbers of sick children whose health condition did not exempt them from arrest or trial where they were treated as healthy adults, and children who were arrested while injured by live ammunition or after recovering from their injuries.

Ordinary sick cases:

Ammunition injury cases:

6. The sentences of the children prisoners vary from 3 to 10 or 18 months and it could decrease after paying a fine or bail. Some cases have exceeded 26 months and 3 years and they are all accompanied with fines with an average of 2,000 NIS, the least is 1000 NIS, and the highest is 5000 NIS without any consideration for their childhood and the lack of recognition for those who are exposed to these unfair trials which are incompatible with the humanitarian norms and laws.
7. We believe it is important to study the reasons and consequences of children prisoners forced to leave their education since it is unreasonable to deprive children of their right to education due to detention and trials.
8. The occupation continues to arrest children once, twice, and three times. The total of children arrested twice is 57, those who have been arrested three times are 17 in number, and those who have been arrested 4 times are 3.

21	11	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2	1	month
4	7	20	2	3	1	6	6	4	6	5	12	number

Hurryyat Center condemns targeting Palestinian children, torturing them and imposing unfair sentences and heavy fines on them. It also condemns the Israeli racist legislation allowing Shabak security services, the occupation army and military courts to arrest the children and expose them to trials, including those under the age of fourteen or twelve, bringing them to unjust military trials, and imposing deterrent measures on the children and their families.

Moreover, Hurryyat urges the international organizations especially UNICEF to condemn this policy and to inform the international community and its human rights organizations about these facts which are blatantly violating the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention against Torture and thus force the occupation state to stop this policy which violates the rights of children and humans in general.