Israel/OPT
23.11.01
Urgent Interventions
Israel: severe conditions of detention for child prisoners in Telmond prison
Case ISR 270901.1.CC
Follow up of the case ISR 270901. CC
CHILD CONCERN
Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.
New information
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of information that the conditions of detention in Telmond Prison severely affect the physical and psychological integrity of the 80 child prisoners.
According to the information received, an Israeli lawyer from Defence for Children International/Palestine Section (DCI/PL) visited Telmond prison on November 14. He was informed that, on Monday 12 November, prison guards began beating and swearing at prisoners coming back from a court hearing under the witness of other prisoners. The following day, the detainees undertook an indefinite hunger strike to protest the attack by the prison guards and the lack of follow-up by the prison administration. In response, the detainees had their personal belongings taken, the electricity cut off, the water supply reduced, and the daily recreation time diminished from six hours to only one hour. Moreover, five of them were placed in isolation.
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its deep concern about the physical and psychological integrity of Palestinian child political prisoners incarcerated in the Telmond Prison. OMCT recalls that Israel is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and, in particular, is bound by article 37 of the Convention according to which no child shall be "subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment", and when deprived of his or her liberty, to be "treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age".
OMCT furthermore highlights that, according to the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, solitary confinement of juveniles as a disciplinary punishment constitutes a cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and should be prohibited.
Paragraph 66 of the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty provides that the solitary confinement of juveniles as a disciplinary measure at the very least constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Brief reminder of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT had been informed by a reliable source of information about the cruel and inhuman conditions of detention of Palestinian child prisoners in Section 7 and 8 of Telmond Prison.
According to the information received, the Prison Administration had attempted to move Palestinian children incarcerated in Section 8 of the prison to Section 7 where conditions were not suitable for human habitation and no educational facilities were available. This transfer was reportedly used as a means of punishing the children for their continuing protests over detention conditions.
The same source of information reported that Palestinian child political prisoners were submitted to inhuman living conditions such as lack of windows and ventilation, poor lighting, inadequate and often inedible food, and lack of sanitary toilet facilities. According to the information received, on 17 September, a Palestinian child in Telmond was cut with a razor blade by Israeli criminal prisoners. The situation was reportedly exacerbated due to the fact that in July 2001 Palestinian lawyers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip were banned from visiting sentenced detainees.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Israel, urging them to:
i. Take urgent action against those guards responsible for beating the children;
ii. Put an immediate end to all forms of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of Palestinian child prisoners, in accordance with national and international legislation;
iii. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all Palestinian children incarcerated;
iv. Ensure physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of the child victims of torture and ill-treatment;
v. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all children throughout the country in accordance with national and international human rights standards, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty.
Addresses
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street, Jerusalem 91007, Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)566 48 38 / 691 79 15 E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.il or feedback@pmo.gov.il
Meir Shitrit, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, 29 Salah al-Din Street, Jerusalem 91029, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2) 62 8 54 38 or Fax: ++ 972 2 628 8618 Email: sar@justice.gov.il
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defense, Ministry of Defense, 7 "A" Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel. Fax:(+972-3)691 69 40, e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il
Eli Yishai, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Fax: 00972 2 670 1411 Email: sar@moin.gov.il
Minister of Police, Ministry of Police, PO Box 18182, 3 Sheikh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala, Jerusalem 91181, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)582 67 69
Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax:(+ 972 2) 530 3704
E-mail: sar@mofa.gov.il
The Supreme Court of Justice, Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 652 71 18
Uzi Landau, Minister of Internal Security, Ministry of Internal Security P.O Box 18182, 3 Sheirkh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala jerusalem, 91181, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 582 67 69, E-mail : sar@mops.gov.il
Please also write to the embassy of Israel in your respective country.
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Geneva, November 21, 2001
Follow up of the case ISR 270901. CC
CHILD CONCERN
Torture, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading Treatment
The International Secretariat of OMCT requests your URGENT intervention in the following situation in Israel.
New information
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by a reliable source of information that the conditions of detention in Telmond Prison severely affect the physical and psychological integrity of the 80 child prisoners.
According to the information received, an Israeli lawyer from Defence for Children International/Palestine Section (DCI/PL) visited Telmond prison on November 14. He was informed that, on Monday 12 November, prison guards began beating and swearing at prisoners coming back from a court hearing under the witness of other prisoners. The following day, the detainees undertook an indefinite hunger strike to protest the attack by the prison guards and the lack of follow-up by the prison administration. In response, the detainees had their personal belongings taken, the electricity cut off, the water supply reduced, and the daily recreation time diminished from six hours to only one hour. Moreover, five of them were placed in isolation.
The International Secretariat of OMCT expresses its deep concern about the physical and psychological integrity of Palestinian child political prisoners incarcerated in the Telmond Prison. OMCT recalls that Israel is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and, in particular, is bound by article 37 of the Convention according to which no child shall be "subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment", and when deprived of his or her liberty, to be "treated with humanity and respect for the inherent dignity of the human person, and in a manner which takes into account the needs of persons of his or her age".
OMCT furthermore highlights that, according to the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty, solitary confinement of juveniles as a disciplinary punishment constitutes a cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment and should be prohibited.
Paragraph 66 of the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty provides that the solitary confinement of juveniles as a disciplinary measure at the very least constitutes cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment.
Brief reminder of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT had been informed by a reliable source of information about the cruel and inhuman conditions of detention of Palestinian child prisoners in Section 7 and 8 of Telmond Prison.
According to the information received, the Prison Administration had attempted to move Palestinian children incarcerated in Section 8 of the prison to Section 7 where conditions were not suitable for human habitation and no educational facilities were available. This transfer was reportedly used as a means of punishing the children for their continuing protests over detention conditions.
The same source of information reported that Palestinian child political prisoners were submitted to inhuman living conditions such as lack of windows and ventilation, poor lighting, inadequate and often inedible food, and lack of sanitary toilet facilities. According to the information received, on 17 September, a Palestinian child in Telmond was cut with a razor blade by Israeli criminal prisoners. The situation was reportedly exacerbated due to the fact that in July 2001 Palestinian lawyers from the West Bank and Gaza Strip were banned from visiting sentenced detainees.
Action requested
Please write to the authorities in Israel, urging them to:
i. Take urgent action against those guards responsible for beating the children;
ii. Put an immediate end to all forms of torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of Palestinian child prisoners, in accordance with national and international legislation;
iii. Take all necessary measures to guarantee the physical and psychological integrity of all Palestinian children incarcerated;
iv. Ensure physical and psychological recovery and social reintegration of the child victims of torture and ill-treatment;
v. Guarantee the respect of human rights and the fundamental freedoms of all children throughout the country in accordance with national and international human rights standards, in particular the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and the UN Rules for the Protection of Juveniles Deprived of their Liberty.
Addresses
Ariel Sharon, Prime Minister, Office of the Prime Minister, 3 Kaplan Street, Jerusalem 91007, Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)566 48 38 / 691 79 15 E-mail: pm@pmo.gov.il or feedback@pmo.gov.il
Meir Shitrit, Minister of Justice, Ministry of Justice, 29 Salah al-Din Street, Jerusalem 91029, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2) 62 8 54 38 or Fax: ++ 972 2 628 8618 Email: sar@justice.gov.il
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Minister of Defense, Ministry of Defense, 7 "A" Street, Hakirya, Tel Aviv, Israel. Fax:(+972-3)691 69 40, e-mail: sar@mod.gov.il
Eli Yishai, Minister of the Interior, Ministry of the Interior, Fax: 00972 2 670 1411 Email: sar@moin.gov.il
Minister of Police, Ministry of Police, PO Box 18182, 3 Sheikh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala, Jerusalem 91181, State of Israel. Fax:(+ 972 2)582 67 69
Shimon Peres, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Fax:(+ 972 2) 530 3704
E-mail: sar@mofa.gov.il
The Supreme Court of Justice, Kiryat Ben Gurion, Jerusalem, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 652 71 18
Uzi Landau, Minister of Internal Security, Ministry of Internal Security P.O Box 18182, 3 Sheirkh Jarrah, Kiryat Hamemshala jerusalem, 91181, Israel. Fax: (+ 972 2) 582 67 69, E-mail : sar@mops.gov.il
Please also write to the embassy of Israel in your respective country.
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Geneva, November 21, 2001