UNICEF: "Israeli" Ill-treatment of Palestinian Minors Systematic, Inhuman

Local Editor

The UN children's fund found slammed Wednesday "Israel's" ill-treatment of Palestinian minors held within the Zionist entity's military detention system.

"This ill-treatment is widespread, systematic and institutionalized," the UNICEF report said.

UNICEF in the 22-page report that examined the "Israeli" military court system for holding Palestinian children found evidence of practices it said were "cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment."
It further outlined 38 recommendations to improve the protection of children in custody.

Over the past decade, "Israeli" forces have arrested, interrogated and prosecuted around 7,000 Palestinian children aged between 12 and 17, most of them boys, the report said, noting the rate was equivalent to "an average of two children each day."
"In no other country are children systematically tried by juvenile military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights," it said.

The vast majority of arrests are for throwing stones, which is considered an offence under the so-called "Israeli" Section 212 of Military Order 1651.
"Although the maximum sentence for children of 12 and 13 is six months, the penalty rises dramatically from the age of 14 when a child can face a maximum penalty of between 10 and 20 years depending on the circumstances," it said.

In a step-by-step analysis of the procedure from arrest to trial, the report said the common experience of many children was being "aggressively awakened in the middle of the night by many armed soldiers and being forcibly brought to an interrogation center tied and blindfolded, sleep deprived and in a state of extreme fear."
Many were subjected to ill-treatment during the journey, with some suffering physical or verbal abuse, being painfully restrained or forced to lie on the floor of a vehicle for a transfer process of between one hour and one day.
In some cases, they suffered prolonged exposure to the elements and a lack of water, food or access to a toilet.

UNICEF said it found no evidence of any detainees being "accompanied by a lawyer or family member during the interrogation" and they were "rarely informed of their rights."

Source: News Agencies, Edited by moqawama.org