The Israeli occupation forces incarcerated 850 Palestinian children in Jerusalem within the past year, 15 of which are under house arrest. The committee of families of al-Quds prisoners exposed the horrid maltreatment the IOF subjects Palestinian children to.
As the case with adult prisoners, the IOF sometimes gives children clear sentencing but often than not, doesn’t.
A report, originally published by Al-Quds, highlights the specific cruelties the IOF enforces on children in house arrest.
The list of things they are prohibited from doing is lengthy: they aren’t allowed to leave their residential building, they are also denied access to the windows and balconies or to make any direct interaction with the outside world. These situations bring havoc to the children’s mental and physical wellbeing.
The occupation reacts viciously with extreme punitive measures towards any breach of the terms of incarceration. This in turn causes a tumultuous state where the child is confused, viewing his/her parents as the jailors. Having no clear end to their jail time makes the daily experience more difficult.
The perpetual punitive measure of enforcing home arrests on Palestinian children is not lawful in the eyes of international law and can lead to serious psychological issues, for it is a form of physiological torture. It deprives children of having a normal life: where they practice their right to play, freedom, and proper education. As stated by Medhad Deeba, who is a lawyer legally representing one of the incarcerated kids.
The issue of administrative detentions is not new for Palestinians. The occupation has a systematic policy that aims to imprison thousands of Palestinians without a fair reason, explanation, denied the chance of a fair trial.
The treatment of prisoners is wretched, to say the least. Prisoners are often tortured, forced to admit to crimes they haven’t committed, blindfolded, send to solitary confinements, and denied legal counsel.
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