Posts Tagged ‘B’Tselem’
CELL 36: The Palestinian children – alone and bewildered – in Israel’s Al Jalame jail
January 28th, 2012 • News
Tags: B'Tselem, cell 36, children, Harriet Sherwood, israel, jail, special report, the guardian, youth
Special report by Harriet Sherwood in The Guardian: Israel’s military justice system is accused of mistreating Palestinian children arrested for throwing stones
The Palestinian children – alone and bewildered – in Israel’s Al Jalame jail
The room is barely wider than the thin, dirty mattress that covers the floor. Behind a low concrete wall is a squat toilet, the stench from which has no escape in the windowless room. The rough concrete walls deter idle leaning; the constant overhead light inhibits sleep. The delivery of food through a low slit in the door is the only way of marking time, dividing day from night.
This is Cell 36, deep within Al Jalame prison in northern Israel. It is one of a handful of cells where Palestinian children are locked in solitary confinement for days or even weeks. One 16-year-old claimed that he had been kept in Cell 36 for 65 days.
The only escape is to the interrogation room where children are shackled, by hands and feet, to a chair while being questioned, sometimes for hours.
Most are accused of throwing stones at soldiers or settlers; some, of flinging molotov cocktails; a few, of more serious offences such as links to militant organisations or using weapons. They are also pumped for information about the activities and sympathies of their classmates, relatives and neighbours.
At the beginning, nearly all deny the accusations. Most say they are threatened; some report physical violence. Verbal abuse – “You’re a dog, a son of a whore” – is common. Many are exhausted from sleep deprivation. Day after day they are fettered to the chair, then returned to solitary confinement. In the end, many sign confessions that they later say were coerced.
Read the full report here…
Related:
Reading International Festival 2010 Recap
October 28th, 2010 • Events, Film & Documentary
Tags: 60 minutes, A Steadfast Hope – The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace, Anna Baltzer, B'Tselem, Breaking the Gaza Blockade, CBS, flotilla, gaza, Gaza Flotilla Attack: The Truth, Holy Ground: Commond Ground, ICAHD, International Women's Peace Service, Is Peace Out Of Reach?, Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions, Jeff Halper, Jerusalem East Side Story, London Palestine Film Festival, No Way Through, peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land, Reading International Festival 2010, Testimony, The Iron Wall, The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
We’d like to thank all those that came to our Reading International Festival events making them such a great success. We hope to see you at our next meeting:
- Thu 18th November, 8pm: Monthly Branch Meeting
- Sat 20th November, 12.30pm: Broad Street Stall
- Thu 16th December, 8pm: READING PSC XMAS PARTY
We hope you consider joining PSC and attending our future events.
If you’d like to share the films and information from these two events with your friends, you’ll find them below. Share this link: readingpsc.org.uk/rif2010
A Steadfast Hope – The Palestinian Quest for Just Peace (27/10/10)
A Steadfast Hope [Youtube link]
Films mentioned/shown in “A Steadfast Hope”:
- The Iron Wall – watch on Youtube
- Jerusalem East Side Story – watch on Youtube
- Holy Ground: Common Ground (no online version)
- Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land – watch on Youtube
- CBS 60 minutes: Is Peace Out Of Reach? – watch on Youtube
Interviewees and Organisations:
- Anna Baltzer & International Women’s Peace Service
- B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories
- The Rachel Corrie Foundation
- Jeff Halper (video) & Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions / ICAHD-UK
Mentioned in the Q&A session after the film:
- Zaytoun Olive Harvest Trips & Zaytoun Olive Oil (as seen on Channel 4 “Food” show)
- IHH Germany
- Boycott information – look out for “729″ on the barcode
- PSC’s BIG Campaign
- Global BDS Movement
- Cultural Boycott: Don’t Play Apartheid Israel
Breaking the Gaza Blockade (21/10/10)
Many thanks to Chris for the informative talk and slideshow about his recent trip to the West Bank. Chris’ talk followed these two films:
Short Film: No Way Through (shown at the London Palestine Film Festival 2010)
Gaza Flotilla Attack: The Truth: [Youtube link]
We hope you enjoyed the events and will share the stories with your friends and family.
Soldier and Officer Convicted in Ni’lin Shooting
July 16th, 2010 • Awareness, News
Tags: B'Tselem, checkpoint, conviction, human rights, idf, office, palestinian, shooting, soldier
AJE reports on case brought under pressure from B’Tselem and other rights groups:
B’Tselem:
The special military court convicted Lieutenant Col. Omri Borberg, formerly commander of armored battalion 71 of attempt ed threat s and Staff Sergeant Leonardo Corea of unlawful use of firearms . Both were also convicted of conduct unbecoming. The charges carry a maximum sentence of three years imprisonment and a criminal record.
In the judgment, the panel of three judges wrote that Borberg instructed to make Ashraf Abu Rahma, the bound prisoner, think that a soldier would shoot him. “The accused even led his subordinate astray by causing him to shoot towards the blindfolded, bound prisoner.” The judges emphasized that combat is not an excuse to justify criminal action. “The actions of the battalion commander did not take place during a demonstration but rather in an area under complete Israeli control and the threat of shooting was not conducted in the course of combat or police action. It represents a serious blow to fundamental values and a significant erosion of the image of the IDF, his commanders and its soldiers.”
The decision of the military court is important both as measure of justice for the victim, as well as for the deterrent message it sends to soldiers and commanders. The military must embrace the judgment and act decisively and proactively to ensure that the far too common phenomenon of ill treatment of Palestinian detainees is not tolerated.
