In November 2015 we began visiting minors in Givon, a prison in Ramla in which a new ward was opened and to which over 40 minors from East Jerusalem who were arrested under various grounds were transferred. The minors testified of extreme violence, including being kept chained to the bed in wet clothes, night-long handcuffing as a form of punishment, beatings to the stomach and on the head, humiliating strip-searches and being denied access to the toilet. Palestinian minors also suffered violence in the detention facility in Jerusalem and while in transfer to and from court hearings and between prisons.  
A story about the minors’ ward was published on the website Mekomit in November (in Hebrew) and in other websites in english.
 
Following our work, the Israeli Prison Services decided to close the ward in Givon and to transfer the minors to other facilities, among them Ofer, Meggido and HaSharon prisons. This has improved the treatment for most of these minors.
 
PCATI's staff attorney, Khalil Zaher, who first visited the minors in Givon and learned of the systematic violence and unreasonable use of force, continues to follow their cases and provide them with legal advice and support. We also filed a collective complaint on behalf of a number of the minors, in which we asked that their treatment be investigated and that a criminal investigation be opened against the brutal prison guards.
 
A person in custody, let alone a minor, is entitled to respect as a human being. Help us continue our work for victims of torture, institutional abuse and police violence. To support PCATI's activities, please click here