JERUSALEM 5 August 2008 - 1,600 words
Holy Land: urgent appeal after army arrests teenage girls
Caritas Jerusalem, has sent us the following disturbing news about two teenaged girls who were taken from their family homes by the Israeli army without explanation, and are now in prison. .
Administrative Detention of Salwa Salah and Sara Siureh
Salwa Salah was born on the 10 November
1991. On Thursday June 5, 2008, at around 2am. Salwa was sitting
with her family in their home in Bethlehem. The family suddenly
heard a loud banging on the door. Salwa's mother opened the door
and was faced with soldiers and the Israeli Security Agency (ISA).
A female soldier was present and told Salwa to get dressed. Meanwhile
the other soldiers interrogated Salwa's mother and questioned
her about her husband, son and daughter. After finishing interrogating
Salwa and her mother, the female soldier handcuffed Salwa's hands,
blindfolded her and forcefully took her to the military jeep.
Sara Siureh was born on the 20, November, 1991. On Thursday June
5, 2008, at around 1.30 a.m. Sara Siureh (16 and a half) was in
her house with her husband in their family home in Bethlehem.
They were suddenly startled to hear a loud banging on the door.
Sara's husband opened the door and was confronted with soldiers
and the ISA. They stormed into the house and a female soldier
shouted at Sara to get dressed. Sara was dragged out to the military
jeep.
Both girls are relatives (cousins) and one of the girls is still
at school. The ISA claim that the girls are involved in militant
activities . They were taken to Telmond Prison and then taken
to Ofer Prison where they were interrogated for one hour. In the
interrogation they were asked about what they were doing and if
they had any relations with any political group. The girls did
not confess to anything. After one hour the girls were taken back
to Telmond where they spent a couple of days. On the night before
going to the Military Court the girls were taken to Ramle prison.
There was a female police officer escorting them. Later during
a meeting between the girls and Addameer's lawyer the girls claimed
that the female police officer was extremely abusive and was pushing
them inside the military jeep. The girls also claim they were
searched in a very humiliating way. Both girls are now in Addamoun
prison in Israel and are being held with the other Palestinian
adult female detainees. Neither of the girls has been allowed
any contact with their families since their arrest on the 5th
of June 2008. This is the first time that girls under the age
of 18 have been put in administrative detention. Their administrative
detention orders have been set for four months, with the possibility
of an up to 6 month renewal at the end of that period. Administrative
detention orders can be renewed indefinitely. An appeal against
this decision was lodged and subsequently rejected. The twin principles
of proportionality and the duty on a state to take into consideration
the child's well being underline much of the detail found in international
law concerning the aims, restrictions and prohibitions on the
sentencing of children. The United Nations Standard Minimum Rules
for the Administration of Juvenile Justice requires that any reaction
to the juvenile offenders should 'always be in proportion to the
circumstances of both the offenders and the offence'. Another
fundamental principle of sentencing is that the deprivation of
liberty, if used at all, should only be used as a measure of last
resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time (Art. 37
(b), CRC). Clearly this is not the case for these two young girls.
The Court did not abide by these legal standards laid out for
all detained minors. This is the first time that both girls have
been in prison.
What is Administrative Detention?
The Israeli authorities can hold people in "administrative detention" without charge or trial, for as long as they wish. They have no intention of bringing such detainees to trial, saying they are a "security risk". They do not inform the detainees or their lawyers how they have decided these detainees are a security risk. Administrative detention orders are issued by the Military Governor for terms of up to six months, and they are frequently renewed shortly before they expire. This process can be repeated over and over again. The mental suffering caused by not knowing the grounds for detention can amount to torture as defined under the UN Convention Against Torture and such lengthy detentions without charge or trial also constitute 'arbitrary detention' which are a violation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (Article 9(1)) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 9). Currently, there are approximately 750 Palestinians now in administrative detention. Of these there are approximately 10 Palestinians under the age of 18 years old.
ACT NOW TO SUPPORT SALWA AND SARAH:
Register your outrage to imprisonment
without trial. PLEASE WRITE to the Israeli government, military
and legal authorities, demanding that Salwa and Sara be released
immediately and that their administrative detention not be renewed.
In particular letters should be addressed to Lt. Colonel Sharon
Afek Legal Advisor to the Israeli Army in the West Bank Chief
Military Attorney. P.O. Box 10482, Beit El, West Bank; Tel: 972-2-997-7071;
Mobile: 972-50-551-1782; Fax: 972-2-997-7326. Fax: +972 2 997
7326
Please cc Addameer at addameer@p-ol.comso we can keep
track of the letters of support.
Letters can also be addressed to:
Mr. Ehud Olmert
Prime Minister
Office of the Prime Minister
3 Kaplan Street, PO Box 187
Kiryat Ben-Gurion, Jerusalem
91919, Israel
Fax: +972- 2-651 2631
e-mail: rohm@pmo.gov.il, pm_eng@pmo.gov.il
Mr Daniel Friedmann
Minister of Justice
Fax: + 972 2 628 7757; + 972 2 628 8618
Mr Menachem Mazuz
Attorney General
Fax: + 972 2 627 4481; + 972 2 628 5438; +972 2 530 3367
Mr Ehud Barak
Minister of Defense
Fax: +972 3 697 6218
sar@mod.gov.il
PLEASE WRITE TO the International Bar Association (IBA), asking its members and Human Rights Institute to put pressure on the Israeli Bar Association to ensure that all subjects under Israeli jurisdiction be granted the basic principles of rule of law - transparent processes which do not allow for arbitrary justice or governance - to which the IBA's Human Rights Institute (HRI) claims to be dedicated to: "The HRI is now a leading voice in the promotion of the rule of law worldwide."
Please send your letters of concern to the Director of the Human Rights Institute of the International Bar Association, Fiona Paterson, and copy it the Chairs of the Council, Ambassador Emilio Cardenas (Argentina) and Justice Richard Goldstone (South Africa).
Fiona Paterson
Director of Human Rights Institute
International Bar Association
10th Floor
1Stephen St
London, W1T 1AT
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 (0)20 7691 6868
Fax: +44 (0)20 7691 6544
PLEASE ALSO WRITE TO the European Union urging the EU to pressure Israel to release or charge all prisoners in Administrative Detention and to put an end to such an unjust, arbitrary and barbaric system of incarceration without trial.
Send your letters of appeal to:
Personal Representative for Human
Rights (CFSP) of the EU Secretary General/
High Representative Javier Solana
Ms. Riina Kionka
175 Rue de la Loi BE 1048 Brussels, Belgium
Fax. : +32 2 281 61 90
Email : riina.kionka@consilium.europa.eu
The Commissioner for External Affairs
and European Neighbourhood Policy
HE Ms. Benita Ferrero- Waldner
Email: relex-enpinfo@ec.europa.eu
Or send a comment via ec.europa.eu/external_relations/feedback/question2.htm
Israeli Embassies and Consulates in
your own country
A directory of Israeli embassies
can be found on the website of the Israeli Ministry of Foreign
Affairs. To access it, please go to the following link: http://www.mfa.gov.il/MFA/Sherut/IsraeliAbroad/Continents/
Source: Caritas Jerusalem
© Independent Catholic News 2008
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