| http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/544/re3.
Israel tortures Palestinian children Two human� rights� reports� reveal� horrifying� details� about� Israel's practice of torturing Palestinian children, Rasha Saad reports� Palestinian and� Israeli� human� rights� groups� are� alarmed� by�� the horrifying experience of more than 140� Palestinian� children� who� have been detained� and� tortured� by� Israeli� security� bodies� since� the beginning of the Intifada. Fourteen-year-old Palestinian girl Sanaa' Amer saw� the� many� faces� of injustice when she was detained, tortured and sentenced� to� 12� month's imprisonment for a crime she did not commit. Amer, along with her sister Abir, were accused of carrying a knife� with the intent to stab an Israeli settler at the West Bank town� of� Hebron. However, as Amer recalls the events of her arrest: "I was standing� away from my sister at the end of the street. Suddenly� she� went� towards� a settler and the soldiers arrested her. I was� talking� to� a� journalist about what happened and a soldier came and grabbed my arm and took me to a military jeep. He hit me on my cheek with a� strong� blow,� so� strong that my ear hurt for a week." And this was just the beginning of� Amer's suffering. An international, Geneva-based human rights group, Defence For� Children International/Palestine section (DCI/PS), expressed grave concern� about Amer's case in a statement issued last week. DCI/PS� said� the� sentence passed against her on 12 July by an Israeli military court was "shocking as it did not take into account her age or the fact� that� she� did� not carry out any violent act whatsoever." The group noted the sharp contrast between the� sentence� meted� out� to Amer and that passed on 37-year-old Nahum Korman,� an� Israeli� settler, who received six months of community service last year� for� the� brutal slaying of 11-year-old Palestinian boy Hilmi Shawasheh in� 1996.� Korman was originally acquitted by an Israeli court, but prosecutors� sought� a retrial because the sentence was "mild." DCI/PS also expressed grave concern� over� Amer's� detention� conditions following her arrest on 20 February 2001. According� to� the� statement, Amer was detained in Ramle prison,� where� she� has� been� subjected� to severe human rights abuses including beating and� harassment� by� prison staff. Amer was� detained� along� with� nine� other� female� Palestinian political detainees, seven adults and two� children,� who� suffered� the same maltreatment. During a riot by� prisoners� in� early� June� to� protest� the� inhumane detention conditions, Amer was beaten with sticks on her arms and� legs. Her arms were tied behind� her� back� and� she� was� kicked� by� Israeli soldiers in her stomach, inducing her to cough up blood. As of 12� July, Amer had received no medical treatment and suffered� pain� whenever� she ate or drank. Amer's case, although shocking, is only one of� many� cases� which� have brought to light the plight of Palestinian minors in Israeli jails,� and Israeli violations of international� law� concerning� the� treatment� of juvenile Palestinian detainees. According to Palestinian sources, more than 140 Palestinian minors� have been detained and tortured in Israeli prisons on suspicion� of� throwing stones since the Intifada began. An Israeli human rights group, B'Tselem, issued a statement on� 15� July exposing the systematic torture and abuse of Palestinian minors detained at the police station in� Gush� Etzion,� near� the� West� Bank� town� of Bethlehem. The report stated that these practices were commonly� carried out there by police officers. In most cases, police arrested Palestinian children in� their� homes� in the middle of the night and took them to� the� police� station� in� Gush Etzion, where police interrogators tortured them until� the� morning� to obtain confessions and information about other minors. Methods of torture described in the report included forcing the juvenile detainees to stand in painful positions for prolonged� periods;� beating them severely for hours at a time with various objects;� splashing� cold water on the detainees in the facility's courtyard in wintry conditions; pushing their heads into the toilet bowl and flushing the toilet; making death threats and cursing and degrading them. The report also included first-hand testimonies of 10 boys, aged� 14� to 17, who have experienced these horrors. More than one policeman was involved in the torture of 14-year-old minor Mohamed Sabatin. As Sabatin recalls,� "A� strong,� dark-skinned� man� of average height ... beat me with great force, kicked me� for� about� five minutes, and put me in a room where four policemen were seated.� Two� of the policemen bound my hands and feet, blindfolded me, and took me� into a room which I couldn't see. The four of them took turns beating me� for about four hours. They struck me with a mop stick, kicked me all over my body, and swore at me in filthy language." The fortune of 15-year-old Sultan Mahdi was no� better.� His� hands� and feet were tied to a chair. When Mahdi denied� throwing� stones� at� army vehicles on the main road,� he� was� taken� to� the� bathroom� near� the interrogation room. "One of the interrogators grabbed me by the hair and put my head in the toilet. I was frightened. When they took me� back� to the interrogation room, I decided to confess. I told them that� I� threw five stones at a settler's vehicle. They wrote up a� detailed� testimony and forced me to sign it," he said. Another victim, 17-year-old Isma'il Sabatin, was left hanging in the air with his legs up and his head down. "They removed the chair� from� under me and left me hanging in the air, with my handcuffed hands holding onto the pipe and the weight of my body hanging in the air, drawing my� hands downwards," he said. Sixteen-year-old Ibrahim Za'ul was ready to make a false� confession� to save a friend from torture. "They� brought� me� to� a� room,"� he� said. "Inside was an officer who identified himself as 'Ayub'. He said he� was a merciless person and was ready to kill me if I� didn't� tell� him� the name of the youths who threw stones. Another guy� opened� the� door� and said in Arabic that Ahmed A'ref Sabatin had died� during� interrogation. The officer turned to me and said, 'What are we going� to� do� with� the body of Ahmed?� Do� you� want� to� change� places� with� Ahmed?'� I� was blindfolded. The interrogator said he was going to� electrocute� me� and that I would die like Ahmed. I felt the� sensation� of� two� iron� wires being stuck on me, but nothing happened. I was taken to the� room� where Ahmed Sabatin was. The interrogators began to beat him right in front of me. Ahmed began to cry and scream at the top of his voice. I asked� them to stop because Ahmed did not throw stones, and I told them that� I� was ready to confess that I threw stones." |
