Israel ‘tortures Palestinian children in detention’

Israel verbally and physically tortures Palestinian children in detention and during their interrogation, Arab48.com reported on Monday. According to the lawyer of the PLO Prisoners’ and Freed Prisoners’ Commission, Heba Aghbariyeh, most of the children in question were subjected to such torture.

Aghbariyeh cited evidence from Majdi Jumaa, 17, from Qafr Qaddum in Qalqilia, who was arrested at 3am while at home. During his detention, he alleged that he was blindfolded and handcuffed, and Israeli soldiers beat him on his head, shoulders and other parts of his body. After being hit by the butts of the soldiers’ guns, he fell to the stony ground. The beating continued in the army jeep taking him to Megiddo Prison, and his head was hit against the side of the vehicle.

Hussein Obeid, also 17, from Jerusalem, was detained while at his home by a large contingent of Israeli occupation forces, police and intelligence services at 5am. He told the lawyer that he was beaten while he was still in bed, before being blindfolded and handcuffed.

Obeid was taken to an interrogation centre in Jerusalem. During the interrogation, the lawyer reported, he was tortured and the interrogators beat him several times on his head, causing bruises and other injuries.

The Prisoners’ and Freed Prisoners’ Commission condemned Israeli violence against Palestinian prisoners, especially children. It called upon the international community and human rights groups to put pressure on Israel to stop this violence and torture.

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