Palestinian minors face abuse in Israeli prisons

Palestinian minors suffer immense emotional and physical abuse in Israeli prisons, child rights group Save the Children said in a new report released on Monday (July 10th).There has been a marked increase in the number of young Palestinians suffering from nightmares and insomnia and finding it difficult to return to normal life due to the prison conditions they faced, the children's rights group said.According to the report, some of these young Palestinians spoke of sexual violence. Many others were beaten, handcuffed and blindfolded in small cages in detention centers. They were also interrogated in unknown locations without the presence of a guardian. They were also often deprived of food, water and sleep.

The Israeli regime has even denied imprisoned Palestinian minors access to a lawyer, the children's rights group pointed out.Also according to the Save the Children report, 86% of the 228 juvenile detainees interviewed were beaten in detention and 69% were strip searched. 42% were injured during their arrest; injuries included gunshot wounds and broken bones.Khalil, who was arrested when he was 13, said he had no access to essential healthcare.“I had a leg injury. I had a cast and had to crawl to be able to move. I felt my body tear apart. I had no crutches to help me walk, I kept asking the soldiers for help, but no one helped me,” he said, as quoted by Save the Children.

The group added that the former detained children interviewed were from the occupied West Bank and were detained for between one and 18 months.“The main alleged crime for these detentions is stone throwing, which can result in a 20-year prison sentence for Palestinian children,” the Save the Children report said.Jason Lee, national director of Save the Children in the occupied Palestinian territories, said Palestinian children are the only group of underage prisoners in the world who are systematically prosecuted in military courts.Additionally, Jason Lee pointed out that research has proven that Palestinian children are victims of severe and widespread abuse by Israeli agents.Save the Children said these Israeli actions were seen as a long-standing human rights concern.