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[16 February 2010] – A number of children suspected of stone throwing were unlawfully taken from their homes in the middle of the night in Silwan, East Jerusalum by Israeli police and security forces, according to Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem.
In four cases investigated by B'Tselem, children aged 12-15, were handcuffed and taken to a police station at the Russian Compound in West Jerusalem for interrogation. The children's parents were prevented from accompanying them. Testimonies collected by B'Tselem indicate that during questioning, interrogators beat and threatened the children involved before releasing them. The detention of one 14-year-old was extended for seven days. The authorities' treatment of the children contravenes the Israeli Youth Law, as amended in 2008 (Amendment No. 14). Under the Law, a minor who is suspected of committing a criminal offence may consult with a parent or other relative prior to being questioned. The parent or relative may also be present during questioning. The Law also prohibits questioning a minor at night except in exceptional circumstances. It states that if the objective can be achieved in a less harmful way, the minor should not be arrested. In the cases at hand, some of the parents were willing to accompany their children to the police station for questioning the following morning. The authorities' actions severely violated the human rights of the minors, all of whom are Israeli permanent residents. A military-style operation conducted in the middle of the night to detain children suspected of stone throwing is unjustifiable on any grounds. It is hard to believe that the security forces would have acted in the same way with Jewish minors. B'Tselem has sent urgent letters to the Jerusalem police commander, Maj. Gen. Ilan Franco, and to the head of the Department of the Investigation of Police, Herzl Shviro, calling for an end to operations by Israeli police and security forces to detain minors in Silwan.
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