Palestinian child prisoners

Alternative Report: Palestinian children prisoners

31 July 2009

Ramallah, 30 July 2009 – On 29 July 2009, Defense for Children International (DCI-Palestine) submitted an Alternative Report to the UN Human Rights Committee which is scheduled to review Israel’s compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966) (ICCPR) in October 2009.

The report focuses on the right to life (Article 6), torture and ill-treatment (Article 7), arbitrary detention (Article 9) and fair trial rights (Article 14) in the Israeli military court system which has operated in the Occupied Palestinian Territory for the last 42 years.

The report covers the period 1 January 2004 to 30 June 2009, during which time 851 Palestinian children were killed during the conflict and around 3,850 children were arrested and prosecuted in the military courts, where basic fair trial rights are denied to minors as young as 12. The report also investigates ill-treatment and torture, administrative detention, the use of children as human shields by the Israeli army and the increasing level of settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank.

The 45 page report makes 35 recommendations and is supported by over 120 pages of sworn testimonies contained in an annexure to the main report.

the full report and supporting evidence can be read on line at:

1. DCI-Palestine Alternative Report to the UN Human Rights Committee
2. Annexure A – Evidence in Support

ENDS

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