[18 February 2012] – On 14 February 2012, DCI submitted a complaint to the Israeli authorities on behalf of 16-year-old Rasheed J. The complaint requests that an investigation be opened into allegations that Rasheed was mistreated by the Israeli Prison Service and Israeli Security Agency whilst detained in the Al Jalame interrogation center in November 2011.

Rasheed was arrested by Israeli soldiers on 4 November 2011, and transferred shortly thereafter to the Al Jalame facility, inside Israel. The transfer of Rasheed out of the West Bank was in violation of Article 76 of the Fourth Geneva Convention which expressly prohibits such transfers. Rasheed reports that he was held in solitary confinement in a windowless cell for 13 days at Al Jalame and was repeatedly interrogated whilst tied to a chair for lengthy periods. Rasheed also reports being verbally abused and spat on in an attempt to make him confess. At no time prior to, or during his interrogation, was Rasheed permitted to see a lawyer or family member.

Since 2008, DCI has documented 38 cases in which children report being held in solitary confinement, mostly at the Al Jalame and Petah Tikva interrogation centres. This comes in spite of repeated statements by the UN that the use of solitary confinement on children be prohibited due to the adverse psychological impact, which in many cases violates the UN Convention against Torture and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Both conventions have been ratified by Israel.

Rasheed’s story is available online.