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<strong><u>On Human Rights Day: Israeli Occupation Continues to
Carry Out Mass Arrests of Palestinians and Subject them to Abuse</u></strong>
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<p style="text-align: justify;">Occupied Ramallah - 10 December
2015 –This year, Palestinians mark International Human Rights
Day mourning over <strong>118 Palestinians </strong>including
<strong>25 children</strong> who were killed by IOF in the past
two months. Palestinians mark this day following two months of
nonstop violence and widespread human rights violations by
Israeli Occupation Forces against the Palestinian civilian
population in response to a popular uprising in the occupied
territory. Today, over <strong>6,500 Palestinians</strong>
remain imprisoned by Israeli occupation including at least <strong>450
children</strong>, <strong>587 Palestinians held under
arbitrary administrative detention</strong> without charge or
trial and <strong>five members of the Palestinian Legislative
Council</strong>.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">In the past two months, Israeli
Occupation Forces have escalated oppressive policies and
practices against Palestinians in the occupied territory in a
flagrant violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms.
Since the beginning of October IOF has been conducting a mass
arrests campaign in the occupied territory whereby over <strong>2,200
Palestinians</strong> were arrested including at least <strong>390
children</strong> as well as <strong>247 Palestinians</strong>
who were placed under administrative detention without charge or
trial. Addameer continues to monitor the Israeli occupation’s
daily policies of arbitrary arrest and detention of
Palestinians, the widespread use of torture and
ill-treatment as well as the extrajudicial executions of
Palestinians by IOF forces. These policies are aimed at imposing
collective punishment against Palestinians for their uprising
against Israel’s oppression and outrages against their
fundamental rights and inherent dignity which International
Human Rights Law aims to preserve.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#008080;"><strong>No
one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest or detention</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Under <strong>Article 3</strong>
and <strong>Article 9</strong> of the <strong>Universal
Declaration of Human Rights</strong>, all human beings have
the right to liberty and the right not to be subjected to
arbitrary arrest and detention. Palestinians, however, have
suffered from a widespread policy of arrests and use of
arbitrary detention by IOF for decades. Since 1967, an estimated
<strong>800,000 Palestinians</strong> have been arrested by
Israeli occupation. Arrests have been used by the Israeli
occupation as means of imposing control, collective punishment
and suppressing any forms of resisting occupation and even as
means to suppress civil and political life in the Palestinian
society. Since 1967, an
estimate of <strong>50,000 Palestinians</strong> have been
subjected to administrative detention without charge or trial
based on secret undisclosed material not accessible to detainees
and their lawyers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Israeli Occupation Forces
regularly carries out mass arrest campaigns during times of
escalation or in response to political developments in the
occupied territory in a manner that renders the arrests
arbitrary. The use of administrative detention against children,
human rights activists and Palestinian political figures
indicate the arbitrary nature of the use of administrative
detention by Israeli occupation and its illegality under
International Humanitarian Law. The United Nation’s Working
Group on Arbitrary Detention has often underlined the arbitrary
nature of depriving persons of their liberty and subjecting
them to administrative detention solely based on undisclosed
evidence which the
detainee cannot challenge.<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">[1]</a> The use of
administrative detention and trials before partial/politically
motivated Israeli military courts further infringes on the right
to fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial
tribunal.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Since 1 October 2015, <strong>an
average of 30 Palestinians were arrested every day</strong>;
an estimate of over <strong>2,200 Palestinians</strong>. Of
those arrested, 247 Palestinians were placed under
administrative detention without charge or trial and without
being able to challenge their detention. Today, at least <strong>587
Palestinians are held under arbitrary administrative detention</strong>
including four children and two members of the Palestinian
Legislative Council. Due to the high number of arrests, the
Israeli Prison Service (IPS) opened new sections in prisons to
accommodate this increasing number of detainees. Two tent
sections have since been opened in Al-Naqab Prison, in addition
to a new section in Gilboa Prison, Givon Section for children in
Al-Ramleh Prison and a new section for female prisoners in
Al-Damon Prison.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color:#008080;"><strong>No
one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or
degrading treatment or punishment</strong></span></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Palestinians are constantly
subjected to different forms of ill-treatment and torture during
arrest, transfer, interrogation and imprisonment. In the past
two months Addameer has documented an escalation of the use of
violence and excessive force against Palestinians during arrest
and detention. Several Palestinian youth were arrested after
being shot by IOF forces in the aftermath of alleged stabbing
attacks. Many of those who were arrested after being shot were
subjected to field interrogations while bleedings,
interrogations during treatment in hospitals while chained to
bed as well as being subjected to harsh interrogations shortly
after release from hospitals.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ibrahim Shwiki (22 years old) was
arrested by IOF forces on 12 November and charged with inciting
violence through Facebook. Several Palestinians have recently
arrested under the claim of inciting violence and racism through
social media. During detention, Ibrahim was brutally assaulted
by prison guards and officers after they raided his cell during
the night. He and the other detainees were forced to lie on the
floor. Then one of the prison guards pointed at Ibrahim and
immediately one of the guards assaulted him with a baton on his
head before others proceeded to punch and kick him. Ibrahim was
then taken to the waiting room. There he was handcuffed very
tight that blood flow to his hands was restricted.
Ibrahim shouted in pain for hours asking for the handcuffs to be
loosened but his pleas were not answered. Ibrahim was then
placed in solitary confinement as punishment for praying loudly
in the cell and specifically for saying “Allahu Akbar” loudly
during prayer. Ibrahim was also assaulted while in solitary
confinement after requesting to call his family, knowing that
the judge did allow him to make a phone call to his family.
Although Ibrahim was suffering from pain due to the beating
especially in his back, he was only taken to see the prison
doctor a week after the assault. By then all marks on his body
were no longer visible.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Inhumane Detention Conditions are
also very common and are often reported by Palestinians detained
by Israeli occupation. Several Palestinians detained at Huwwara
detention center complained to Addameer’s lawyers about poor
detention conditions. Detainees reported that the food they are
receiving is insufficient and not nutritious . The detainees
have also complained that the cells are very dirty and
unhygienic as well as being overcrowded; 6 detainees are held in
a 4*3.5 meter cell. Furthermore detainees as Huwwara detention
center reported they received dirty mattresses and were not
given any clothes for days. Ill-treatment was also reported in
Oz interrogation center. Originally a police
station, detainees including children reported they were
shackled and left on the floor outdoors in the cold or in
caravans for several hours before being transferred to detention
centers. Detainees have also reported ill-treatment and physical
violence at the hand of interrogators.</p>
<h3 style="text-align: justify;"><strong><span
style="color:#008080;">Detention or imprisonment of a child
shall be used only as a measure of last resort</span></strong></h3>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Under International Human Rights
Law, children must be afforded special protection and their best
interest should always be a primary consideration. The
Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was ratified by
Israel in 1991, prohibits the arbitrary detention of children
and stipulates that the detention and imprisonment of children
should only be used as a measure of last resort and for the
shortest appropriate period of time. Palestinian children,
however, are regularly subjected to arrests and detention by
Israeli occupation. Children often undergo ill-treatment at the
hands of IOF forces and are subject to a wide array of
violations. Arrests usually take place in night raids and are
often physically
and verbally abused during arrest, transfer and detention.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Almost one fifth of those arrested
since 1 October were children, which resulted in tripling the
number of Palestinian minors held in Israeli occupation prisons
that spiked from 156 children by the end of September to at <strong>least
450 children. </strong>At least four children are currently
held under administrative detention considered to be a “<em>direct
and immediate threat to the national security of Israel</em>.”<a
moz-do-not-send="true" href="#_ftn2" name="_ftnref2" title="">[2]</a>
Israeli occupation also continues to target children with new
harsh policies and laws including a new draft law which would
allow custodian sentences for children as young as 12,
amendments to the Israeli penal code which allow
imposing 10-year prison sentences for throwing stones and
instituting a minimum sentence of 3 years for stone throwing.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Ali Alqam (12 years old) is
currently the youngest Palestinian child detained by Israeli
occupation. Ali was arrested on 8 November after allegedly
attempting a stabbing attack in the Jerusalem light train. Ali
was shot with live ammunition three times in his abdomen, pelvis
and hand by an Israeli security guard. Ali was underwent several
surgeries to treat the bullet wounds. On 22 November, Ali was
transferred to a closed treatment facility pending trial. Ali’s
cousin, Muawiya Alqam (14 years old) was arrested with Ali in
the aftermath of the same incident and is currently detained in
Givon Prison.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Salam Quraan (16 years old) was
arrested by IOF forces on 14 October on his way back from school
in Ramallah. An Israeli soldier assaulted Salam from the back
while he was walking home, then proceeded to beat him along with
eight other soldiers. Salam was repeatedly beaten for
approximately five minutes in the stomach and at least once in
the testicles. Salam was then dragged from his feet causing
several wounds on his body including his hands and head. Salam
was then transferred to a nearby settlement where he was
blindfolded and forced to wait in room for several hours. He
was slapped several times while waiting and his photos were
taken by the soldiers.</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;">Givon Prison was opened in October
2015 to accommodate the large number of children arrested by IOF
forces. Currently there are 70-75 children detained in Givon.
Children have complained to Addameer’s lawyer about
ill-treatment as well as unhygienic conditions and dampness in
the prison. Children have also complained that the food they are
receiving is insufficient in portions and of poor quality. The
children are isolated in Givon from adult Palestinian political
prisoners who usually provide social support and help imprisoned
Palestinian children communicate with the IPS and prison
wardens. Several of the children informed Addameer’s lawyer Mona
Naddaf during a visit on 3rd of December
that they are suffering from nightmares, sleep disorder, loss of
appetite, sadness and feeling isolated. The children also stated
they were subjected to ill-treatment during interrogation
including being denied using toilets, being deprived from food,
being subjected to physical beating, threats and sleep
deprivation. Some of the children, who were injured during
arrest, have also complained they aren’t receiving medical
treatment or are receiving it with significant delays.</p>
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<div id="ftn1">
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="#_ftnref1" name="_ftn1" title="">[1]</a> Working
Group, opinions Nos. 5/2010 (Israel) and 26/2007 (Israel).</p>
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<div id="ftn2">
<p style="text-align: justify;"><a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="#_ftnref2" name="_ftn2" title="">[2]</a> As stated
in the administrative detention orders issued against the
children.</p>
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<div style="text-align: center; margint-top: 30px;">
<strong>Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association</strong><br>
<br>
P. O. Box: 17338, Jerusalem<br>
<div class="location vcard"><span class="adr"><span
class="street-address">3 Edward Said Street</span><br>
<span class="extended-address">Sebat Bldg.</span><br>
1st Floor, Suite 2<br>
<span class="locality">Ramallah</span>, Palestine</span></div>
Tel: +972 (0)2 296 0446 / 297 0136<br>
Fax: +972 (0)2 296 0447<br>
<br>
Email: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:info@addameer.ps">info@addameer.ps</a><br>
Website: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.addameer.org">www.addameer.org</a><br>
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