12 Year Old Arrested In Ni’lin Brought Before Military Court

On Sunday 14th September, Mohammad Saleh Khawaje, aged 12 years and two months, from the village of Ni’lin will spend a fourth night in Ofer prison near Ramallah, as he awaits release on bail for the charges of stone-throwing and disturbance of public order. His co-defendant, 13 year old Abdul Ahman is not so lucky; he will be kept in jail until his indictment on Tuesday 16th September, when military prosecutors will request that the judge refuse bail, forcing the child to remain incarcerated for the period of his trial - a process that takes up to six months. The difference in their treatment, according to their lawyer, is based on the slight age difference. If convicted, however, both children face approximately ten to twelve months in jail, advised their lawyer.A clear indication of the apartheid nature of the Israeli legal system, Mohammad and Abdul will be tried and punished as adults, despite their young ages because Palestinian children are defined as adults at 12 years old; while Israeli children are treated as such until they reach 18 years of age.

Read more...