Speaker: Victoria Brittain

According to Defence of Children International about 300 children between the aged 12-17 are held in detention by the Israeli Prison Service (IPS) and IDF temporary detention facilities.

Palestinian child prisoners are routinely:
. Shackled, blindfolded, beaten and arrested at night
. Humiliated, strip searched,threatened until they ‘confess’
. Held in Israel up to 90 days without access to a lawyer
. Judged in military courts and held in adult prisons
. Some are held in solitary confinement for months and threatened by dogs

Israel has been condemned by Israeli human rights organisations such as B’tselem and Breaking the Silence for its treatment of child prisoners. In July 2012 the UN Special Committee on Israeli Practices in Occupied Territories noted “the proliferation of cases of detainment, mistreatment – even torture – of Palestinian children by Israeli authorities”.

In July 2012 the UK Foreign Office agreed that “imprisoning Palestinian children inside Israel violates international law “

Victoria Brittain is a former associate foreign editor of the Guardian and a tireless campaigner for human rights throughout the developing world. She speaks and writes regularly to publicise the truth about Palestine.

17 Jan 2013 19:00 – 21:00

Friends Meeting House , 6 Mount Street, behind Central Library , Manchester