Israel is facing 10 years in prison, Amnesty says

Ahead of appearing in Israeli military court, Amnesty International said on Monday that Israel “must” release Ahed Tamimi, 16, who could face up to ten years in Israeli prison.

The teenager will appear before Ofer military court in the occupied West Bank accused of aggravated assault and 11 other charges, after a video – showing her shoving, slapping and kicking two Israeli soldiers in her home village of Nabi Saleh on 15 December – was widely-circulated on Facebook.

Ahed confronted the soldiers during a demonstration against US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

The video shows that the soldiers, who were standing on the edge of the family’s walled front yard armed with assault rifles, were able to lightly swat away Ahed’s slaps and kicks.

However, the clip outraged many Israelis, with Education Minister Naftali Bennett telling Israeli army radio that Ahed and two other women involved in the incident “should finish their lives in prison.”

The incident took place on the same day that Ahed’s 15-year-old cousin, Mohammed, was hit in the head at close range by an Israeli soldier. His family told Amnesty that he required surgery involving the removal of part of his skull.

Family members were arrested

Four days after the incident, Ahed and her mother, Nariman, were arrested by Israeli soldiers during a night raid on their home. The arrests took place after Nariman, also a prominent activist, posted the footage online.

Another cousin of Ahed’s, Nour, 21, was arrested the following day but has since been released on bail. On 1 January, Ahed and Nariman were charged with aggravated assault of soldiers and preventing them from carrying out their duties.

Ahed faces a total of 12 charges, including incitement on social media and offences related to five other alleged altercations with Israeli soldiers over the past two years.

Lawyer of the little girl says she has faced several long and aggressive interrogation sessions, sometimes during the night, and has received threats against her family by interrogators.

Her family said that Ahed has also endured several physically-exhausting transfers from prison to court alongside other child detainees, without access to a toilet. 

Violation of international law

Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Israel is a state party, the arrest, detention or imprisonment of a child must be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time.

Magdalena Mughrabi, Amnesty International’s Middle East and North Africa Deputy Director, said: “Nothing that Ahed Tamimi has done can justify the continuing detention of a 16-year-old girl. The Israeli authorities must release her without delay. 

“In capturing an unarmed teenage girl’s assault on two armed soldiers wearing protective gear, the footage of this incident shows that she posed no actual threat and that her punishment is blatantly disproportionate.

“Ahed Tamimi’s ensuing arrest and military trial exposes the Israeli authorities’ discriminatory treatment of Palestinian children who dare to stand up to ongoing, often brutal, repression by occupying forces.

“Israel is clearly, brazenly flouting its obligations under international law to protect children from overly harsh criminal punishments.”

Source Article from http://daysofpalestine.com/post/10734/israel-is-facing-10-years-in-prison-amnesty-says

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