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CONTENTS
Overview of Detention Conditions for Child Political Prisoners
In this months report, we review the needless violence and abuse suffered by 16 year old Ziyad Shaludi from Hebron who was arrested at home in January. Ziyad was beaten in front of his family by four Israeli soldiers, before being detained for 9 days. During his detention, Ziyad was questioned by two men and then asked to sign an account of his testimony in Hebrew, a language that Ziyad does not understand well. Ziyad was eventually released without charges or fines on February 15 2003. His testimony, along with that of his sisters is detailed in the Case Studies below.
For those children remaining in custody, conditions remain harsh, particularly in Ketziot and Ramle prisons. Poor nutrition, physical discomfort and humiliating routines are made all the more trying by raids and abuse from the guards. Two incidents of note in February include a tear gas raid in Ketziot prison and the punishment of 6 Ramle prisoners with 8-days solitary confinement, after they requested hot water before the Muslim festival of 'Eid al-Adha. Ramle prisoners are now planning a hunger strike unless certain basic requests are met.
Worryingly, there has also been a marked increase in the obstacles placed in front of lawyers visiting their child clients, and creeping infringements on the basic rights of the detainee as established by international law. At Ramle prison, officials have been positioned in order to monitor lawyer-client meetings, while in Telmond, children are being brought out one-by-one at 45 minute-1 hour intervals, preventing the lawyer from seeing all his clients.
Prison Life
Ramle
Ramle prison currently houses 57 female prisoners, including 9 children aged under 18. The girls are deprived of clothing, educational materials and money for canteen food. Their nutrition remains inadequate, both in terms of quantity and quality.
On 10 February 2003, the prison authorities launched a disproportionate attack on prisoners after requests for hot water to bathe before the Muslim festival of 'Ed al-Adha. One of the prisoners had shouted at the guards to turn on the water, girls told the DCI lawyer 18 February 2003. The response by the authorities was to beat prisoners with their fists and to lock six prisoners in solitary confinement for 8 days.
In view of these events, the Ramle prisoners have decided to call a hunger strike if the following demands are not met;
There should be an improvement in the quantity and quality of food
Prisoner representatives should be allowed to move between rooms
Prisoners should be allowed to prepare their own food
The administration should allow in clothes for the prisoners sent by the Red Cross and families
The administration should treat the prisoners with respect
Another important development at Ramle, are the increasing obstacles to lawyer visits, as the DCI attorney found, 18 February, 2002. Along with the two hour wait at the start of the visit, the DCI attorney was asked to leave early when "security measures" started within the prison.
During the visit, prison authorities tried to put a prison officer next to the attorney to listen to his meetings. The DCI attorney objected to this, and after arguing with the guard, a security officer came and eventually agreed to ask the guard to sit further away. This new procedure runs contrary to UN principles on the rights of detainees, adopted in Havana in 1990, where the 8th article states that all arrested people, detainees and prisoners should have the opportunity and provision for visits by legal representatives and the right to speak and consult with them in complete confidence, without delay, intervention or supervision. The measure also contravenes a ruling by the Israeli High Court of 11 September 2002, which states that lawyer-client meetings should be guaranteed privacy.
Another new measure adopted by the Ramle authorities is a screen to separate lawyers from their clients. This has also been adopted in Telmond, where the authorities said it is intended to prevent visitors smuggling mobile phones into prisoners.
Telmond Prison:
Another 6 children (boys under 16) have been moved to Telmond in the last month, taking the total number to 72; 5 from Gaza and the remainder from the West Bank and Jerusalem. This has put pressure on already overcrowded conditions, and since there are only 64 beds in the unit, new prisoners are sleeping on the floor, boys told the DCI lawyer 20 February 2002.
Current problems are that:
Prison authorities won't allow the prisoners' representative to move between rooms, preventing the prisoners from taking collective decisions
At Eid al-Adha, one prisoner was put into solitary confinement after he tried to give a religious sermon to the others
The prison authorities frequently launch surprise raids and carry out body searches, forcing the children to remove their underwear. This causes a permanent atmosphere of tension in the prison.
There are not enough clothes in the prison, and the prison will not provide any new clothes
Prisoners lack sufficient money for the canteen, particularly after the introduction of monetary fines
Prisoners are not able to move their televisions between rooms, even though the prisoners clubbed up together for them and there are not enough televisions to go round
Visits from West Bank families are still not allowed, although Jerusalem families can visit once a fortnight
As in Ramle, the DCI attorney has found increased difficulties in visiting clients. Along with long waits on entering the prison, the authorities will only bring one prisoner into the room at a time, leaving a 40-60 minute interval between one client and the next. Prisoners are being brought into visits with their hands and feet tied which causes them tiredness and pain, due to the long distance between the visiting rooms and the rest of the prison.
In addition, a number of the children in Telmond are suffering from illnesses or problems which are not receiving medical treatment, apart from painkillers. These include:
One prisoner from Gaza, who had a gash on his hand when he was arrested. This injury is still hurting him and he is unable to sleep.
Mustafa Tantawi and Mahdi Nadi, who are suffering from gastro problems due to the poor prison food.
Ahmad Abu al-Ads, who is suffering from dental problems
Muhammad al-Madani, who was shot in the leg when he was arrested, but has received no treatment except painkillers.
Ketziot
The 62 boys aged 16-18 held in Ketziot, the Negev military prison, have had another difficult month, after a raid by the authorities on February 2. Soldiers used around 200 canisters of tear gas in the raid, causing many prisoners to pass out and suffer breathing difficulties. In addition, prisoners are being disturbed by a new telephone frequency scrambler, designed to prevent mobile phone use, which makes continual beeping sounds, causing headaches and fatigues.
Meanwhile, general living conditions remain overcrowded, dirty and inadequate, boys told the DCI/PS lawyer, February 26 2002. Tents in the desert military prison are designed for 10 people, but now house at least 20, while the intense cold and lack of nutrition result in continual suffering. One prisoner from Hebron is still suffering cramps as a result of the tear gas attack, while a Tulkarem prisoner has torn muscles which prevent him from sleeping. Other prisoners are suffering from gunshot wounds sustained at or before their arrests. The only medical treatment provided in all these cases is light painkillers.
General conditions:
The tents house numerous rats which are causing skin diseases
Food quality is bad and lacks nutritional value. Food from other institutions or family visits has run out.
Prison guards steal prisoners' possessions, including personal effects, but the prison authorities are ignoring complaints about this
Visits from West Bank families are still prohibited, while families with Gaza and Jerusalem IDs can visit once a month. The administration did promise to enable Ramallah families (West Bank) to visit, but this has not happened
Clothes, food and covers which were brought in by families have run out or been confiscated by the authorities, despite the shortage in warm clothing and the extreme cold
There is a severe shortage of money for prisoners to buy food from the prison canteen
Prisoners lack hot water and prison bathrooms are filthy
Case Studies
Case One; Ziyad Shaludi
Ziyad is 16 years old, one of 9 brothers and sisters living in the old city of Hebron. On 7 January 2003, Ziyad was subjected to a violent arrest, for no apparent reason, and held for 9 days in a military detention centre. His story follows, as told in affidavits made to DCI-PS by his younger sisters, Nevine and Sherouk:
"I (Nevine Jawwad Da'oud 'Ali Shaludi) am the sister of Ziyad, and pledge that this is my signed testimony about his arrest. On 7/12003, at around 1.30pm I was sitting in my brother Ayad's room with my brother's wife, Mayada, not doing anything. My sister, Sherouk was showering in the bathroom inside the room and my brother, Ziyad, was on the veranda. Suddenly, 4 armed soldiers opened the door to the room. I remained seated and they started to insult and make fun of me and my sister-in-law. They asked Ziyad to go outside in Arabic. Ziyad said that he wouldn't go outside without his sisters. A soldier went and grabbed his neck and pushed him hard towards the wardrobe. Ziyad didn't fall. Then the soldier grabbed his arm and twisted it. I went towards the soldier and hit his stomach and legs and he pushed me towards the bed, but I didn't fall. The soldiers started to beat and kick Ziyad with their fists, feet and rifles. I left the room and tried to leave the house through the front door, our house is on the ground floor. The soldiers tried to stop me, but I managed to get out and go to my aunt's house which is about 80 metres away. I told her what was happening and we went straight back towards my home. We saw 3 soldiers standing on the steps and they stopped my aunt from reaching Ziyad. The other soldier stood beside Ziyad. I went up to Ziyad and saw that the soldier had released his arm lock and tied his hands with plastic. My aunt tried to come closer, but a soldier pushed her away, forcing her to grab the railings. My aunt started screaming as the soldiers took Ziyad outside. She wouldn't leave them alone."
Sherouk Jawwad Daoud Sheludi, Ziyad's sister gave the following testimony of Ziyad's arrest:
"On 7 January 2003 at around 1.30 in the afternoon, we were in the house, me, my little sister, Nevine, my brother Ayad's wife, and my big brother Ziyad. I was taking a shower in the bathroom inside my brother's room. Our house has 3 bedrooms. I heard my brother's wife calling me and telling me to get dressed because there were Israeli soldiers in the house. I heard the sound of the soldiers, one of them speaking very abusive Arabic, I don't want to say what. I saw the 4 soldiers by the door, all of them were armed, and they entered the room. Then I heard a tall white soldier say to my brother Ziyad, go outside and leave the girls here. Ziyad said I won't go out by myself you can search the room when I am here or we can all go outside. A soldier grabbed Ziyad forcefully and pushed him towards the wardrobe, while they shouted at him. Then they took him outside the room. At that point I came out of the bathroom. I was really scared. I had already put my clothes on and I went towards the door and saw 2 soldiers hitting Ziyad on his arms and face with their fists and guns, while he was sprawled out on the bed (on the veranda). The other two soldiers watched. Quickly, I went towards the soldiers who were hitting Ziyad and pushed one of them and tried to push the second, but I couldn't. I slapped one of them on the face but he took me by the hands and pushed me hard and I fell onto the bed next to Ziyad. Ziyad started yelling to get them away from me and tried to get up, but they hit him harder so he couldn't. At that point, my aunt came in through the main door and tried to climb the five steps towards us, but the soldiers pushed her away. Ziyad took advantage of the situation and tried to hit them, but the fourth soldier went towards him and head-butted him."
After his arrest, Ziyad was taken to 'Asyun prison but later questioned at Kiryat Arba police station, near Hebron. Here is his testimony of his interrogation and detention:
"When I arrived at the interrogation centre at 12 o clock in the evening, a doctor gave me a medical checkup and treated me well. The doctor asked the soldiers to loosen the plastic ties on my hands. They confiscated my personal belongings and I was questioned for 10-15 minutes at the police station, in an office where there were 2 men and 3 desks. One of the men was wearing civilian clothes and the other was wearing police clothes. I was sat in a chair and one of them accused me of hitting a soldier. I denied this and they started to write on a paper in Hebrew. After this I had to sign the paper (in Hebrew, although Ziyad speaks Arabic) and they loosened my ties. They said that they would hold me for a few days.
"On the third day, I felt such a bad pain in my back (after the beating when he was arrested), that I could hardly sit, and this lasted for a few days. After 9 days I went to Bet El court. My lawyer was Khaled Quzmar from DCI-PS, but I didn't see my lawyer because I didn't go into the courtroom. I sat in the car outside and eventually a police officer told me that they would release me on 15/1/2003."
Ziyad was released early on 15 January 2002, without charges or fines.
Case Two: Riham As'ad Musa
Riham is 15 years old from Tulkarem refugee camp. She was arrested on 20 February 2003 at Tulkarem checkpoint, after allegedly attempting to attack soldiers with a large knife. Soldiers at the checkpoint shot her twice in the stomach and she was taken to Ma'er hostpial inside Israel , near Kufr Saba. She has since had an operation to remove pieces of exploding bullets from her intestines, and remains in hospital, handcuffed to a bed, awaiting further surgery.
On 3 March, the prosecutor outlined the charges accusing Riham of "attempting to kill soldiers" with a knife. He asked that she be detained until her trial and that because she was still in hospital, that her arrest should be renewed without bringing her to court. The DCI lawyer asked the Judge to visit Riham in hospital instead, which the Judge did. He then renewed her arrest warrant until March 5.
On March 5, Riham was still unable to come to court and so the DCI lawyer asked for the Judge to visit her again. DCI also asked the prosecutor to consider a lesser charge of "possession of a knife." The prosecutor has agreed in principle to reduce the charges against Riham to "attempting to stab soldiers." This charge would carry a one year sentence, although this has still to be confirmed.
Riham is now awaiting further surgery in Ma'er hospital. Her family is unable to visit her because they have West Bank ID, although she has received visits from the DCI lawyer.
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