The central court of
the Jewish entity sentenced the Palestinian child Ahmad Manasrah (aged 14) to
12 years in prison in additional to imposing a fine of 180,000 Shekels
(approximately 47,000 USD). That was after being found guilty of attempting to
undertake a stabbing operation on the 12th of October 2015 in the
usurped Pisgat Ze’ev’ neighborhood, alongside his uncle Hasan Manasrah, who was
martyred in that attempted stabbing. That was whilst the child, Ahmad Manasrah,
was badly injured after the occupation forces ran him over and was then exposed
to threats and verbal abuse with horrid cursing after being injured whilst
urgent medical attention was not provided to him.
Approximately 700
Palestinian children are arrested and interrogated every year and most of them
are imprisoned. The Palestinian Centre of Human Rights stated that since the
year 2000, more than 9000 children have been arrested by the Jewish occupation
forces. The Palestinian Children’s Defense Movement indicated according to
recent statistics that 1260 children had been arrested during 2016, 330 of
which include children between the ages of 12-15 years.
It is worth mentioning
that the general prosecutor in the Jewish entity and central court delayed
sentencing Manasrah until he had reached age 14 as the law states that children
under the age of 14 are not allowed to be incarcerated. That was so the
sentence could be implemented practically upon him. The court did not take into
consideration the serious injuries he sustained or the verbal abuse and assault
that he had been exposed to, his poor treatment in the hospital or scream
tactics during the interrogation. The issue of Manasrah’s arrest and the harsh
treatment that he was exposed to in the occupier’s prisons, in addition to the
unjust sentence against him, has shed light upon the hundreds of detained
children subjected to arrest and detention within the occupier’s prisons and
who are held in terrible conditions. That is because he (Manasrah) is only one
of 400 of the children of Palestine detained in the Jewish entity’s prisons who
are subjected to routine torture, bad treatment, solitary confinement during
interrogation, being beaten and kicked by the military occupier officers,
threatened with sexual assault and other forms of disgusting treatment which
are contrary to what they call the “International law and Children’s Convention”.
Based on witness testimonies from the detained Palestinian children, the
Children’s Defense Movement obtained information that the interrogators and
occupier soldiers use threat tactics, either with death, like what happened to
the child Ibrahim al-Titi (15 years old) from Al-Fuwar camp in Hebron
(Al-Khalil), or with the violation of the (child’s) honour, like what took
place with the child Wajeeh Al-Khateeb (15 years old) from the Qalandia camp.
That doesn’t even include the beating, insults and screaming that occurs during
the interrogation. Additionally, the occupier court in Ofer recently extended
the detention of Osamah Zidat (14 years) until the 21st of this
November under the excuse and pretext of completing “legal procedures” whilst
his family is not permitted to visit him since his arrest…
O
(so-called) “civilised or advanced” world! For how long will these
human violations go on for? For how long will you look over and ignore the
oppression and the oppressors?! Children, at the age of blossoms, are having
their innocence violated and are being flung into the depths of prisons without
mercy or justice. That is whilst the western “civilised” world watches on and
does not consider them to be children that the children’s or (even) human
rights apply upon, those rights which they don’t stop babbling about when it is
related to the matter of the implementation of the Islamic rules!
O
Muslims: Verily, Palestine and its stationed people are a trust
upon your necks. This child Ahmad and others like him are a living example of
your betrayal. So, for how long will this betrayal and abandoning go on for
until you bring victory (Nusrah) for its people, women and children?! How long
will you be blind to this terrorizing mental and physical torture against the
young and innocent! You have even fallen short in speaking out against it and
we don’t even hear words of condemnation or grief in relation to these
despicable acts any longer! So what more are you waiting for to happen? For the
fox to come to your place of honour and eat your grapes if you still have
anything left! And you, O officers and soldiers of the armies, until when will
you be held up in your barracks, incapable of supporting your brothers? Does
not what is happening call you to deploy?!
﴿إِن يَنصُرْكُمُ اللَّـهُ فَلَا غَالِبَ لَكُمْ ۖ وَإِن
يَخْذُلْكُمْ فَمَن ذَا الَّذِي يَنصُرُكُم مِّن بَعْدِهِ ۗ وَعَلَى اللَّـهِ
فَلْيَتَوَكَّلِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ﴾
“If
Allah should aid you, no one can overcome you; but if He should forsake you,
who is there that can aid you after Him? And upon Allah let the believers rely” [Aali
‘Imraan: 160].
Women’s
Section
in the Central Media Office of Hizb ut Tahrir
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