Name: Mohammad H.
Date of arrest: 15 March 2012
Age: 14
Location: At Tur, East Jerusalem
Accusation: Throwing stones

On 15 March 2012, a 14-year-old boy from At Tur neighbourhood, in occupied East Jerusalem, is arrested by Israeli forces from his family home at 4:00 am and accused of throwing stones.

“At around 4:00 am I was sleeping when around 20 Israeli soldiers came banging on our door, waking everyone including me,” says 14-year-old Mohammad. “My father opened the door and asked them what they wanted, and they entered the house and asked for me. Their faces were covered. ‘What do you want him for?’ my father asked. ‘Don't interfere. Just bring him out here,’ one of them said. ‘Do you have an arrest warrant?’ my father asked. ‘Yes, and you can see it at the police station. Now, where's Mohammad?’ the soldier said and my father called me out. ‘I'll bring him myself,’ my father said. ‘No, he has to come with us now and you can come later,’ the soldier said.”

Mohammad was led out of the house and his hands were tied behind his back with a single plastic tie. He was also blindfolded. He was led for about 200 metres and was then put inside a car and transferred to Al Mascobiyya interrogation centre, in West Jerusalem. On arrival at the centre, Mohammad reports being made to stand up against a wall, still tied and blindfolded, for around two hours. He was then taken into an interrogation room and his blindfold was removed. The interrogator wore civilian clothes and accused Mohammad of throwing stones, which he denied. The interrogator then called Mohammad a “dog” and slapped him on the neck. The interrogator then accused Mohammad of throwing Molotov cocktails and pushed his head against a closet and kicked him, when he denied the additional accusation.

At the end of the interrogation, the interrogator printed out some papers written in Hebrew and ordered Mohammad to sign them, which he did. Mohammad was not accompanied by one of his parents during questioning, as is generally required in the Israeli juvenile justice system, and he did not have access to a lawyer prior to, or during, questioning.

For further information see: DCI-Palestine - “Voices from East Jerusalem: The situation facing Palestinian children” and B’Tselem: “Caution: Children Ahead – The Illegal Behavior of the Police towards Minors in Silwan Suspected of Stone Throwing”.
   

15 March 2012