Israel holds some 4,450 Palestinians – together with 160 youngsters, 32 girls, and 530 administrative detainees – in prisons.
On April 17 yearly, Palestinian Prisoner’s Day is commemorated to focus on the plight of these held in Israeli jails and their wrestle for freedom towards the Israeli occupation.
Over the course of 2021, the Israeli navy arrested almost 8,000 Palestinians, together with greater than 1,300 minors and 184 girls.
Israeli authorities additionally issued greater than 1,500 administrative detention orders – holding Palestinians with out cost or trial, in response to prisoners’ rights group Addameer.
As of April 10, 2022, there have been 4,450 Palestinians held in Israeli jails in Israel and the occupied territory.
For Palestinians, they’re political prisoners preventing to finish Israel’s unlawful occupation. Of these:
- 530 are held with out cost or trial
- 160 are youngsters
- 32 are girls
- 549 are serving life sentences
- 499 are serving a sentence of greater than 20 years
Youngster prisoners – Ahmad Manasra’s case
Israel is the one nation on the earth that tries youngsters in navy courts, typically denying them their fundamental rights.
The Israeli military has imprisoned greater than 12,000 Palestinian youngsters since 2000, in response to Addameer.
Most of those youngsters have been charged with “throwing stones”, against the law punishable below navy legislation by as much as 20 years in jail.
At the moment, 160 Palestinian youngsters stay in Israeli prisons, most are in pre-trial detention and haven’t been convicted of any offence.
Probably the most harrowing youngster prisoner instances is that of Ahmad Manasra who was arrested on the age of 13, brutally interrogated after which sentenced.
After six years served on his sentence, and 6 months of detention prior, he has solely simply turned 21.
Ahmad was along with his cousin Hassan, who allegedly stabbed two Israeli settlers close to an Israeli settlement in occupied East Jerusalem in 2015.
Hassan, who was 15 on the time, was shot and killed by an Israeli civilian, whereas Ahmad was severely overwhelmed by an Israeli mob and run over by a automotive.
He suffered fractures to his cranium and inside bleeding.
On the time, Israeli legislation acknowledged that youngsters below 14 couldn’t be held criminally accountable.
To avoid this, Israeli authorities waited till Manasra turned 14 to condemn him. The legislation was modified in August 2016 to permit the prosecution of youthful youngsters.
Ahmad was charged with tried homicide and sentenced to 12 years in jail. The sentence was later decreased to 9 years.
Ahmad has lengthy suffered psychological well being points. On the finish of 2021, a psychiatrist from Docs With out Borders was allowed to go to him and recognized him with schizophrenia. This was the primary time an exterior physician was allowed to see him.
Regardless of Ahmad’s psychological well being points and diagnoses, he has been held in solitary confinement for the previous 5 months.
Israeli forces have shot and killed a minimum of eight Palestinian youngsters for the reason that begin of 2022.
Administrative detainees – held with out cost or trial
There are presently 530 Palestinians in “administrative detention” – held with out cost or trial.
The detainees, together with girls and kids, might be held by the navy for renewable six-month durations based mostly on “secret proof” that neither the detainee nor their lawyer is allowed to see.
In line with worldwide legislation, an occupying state is prohibited from transferring and holding prisoners exterior the occupied territory, however Israel does this with quite a few prisons inside its borders.
Over time, many detainees have gone on starvation strike as a non-violent protest towards their detention.