On 26 June a new report on children held in Israeli military detention was published in London. The report – Children in military custody – was produced by a delegation of British lawyers following their visit at the behest of the British Government. The delegation of nine lawyers, including Sir Stephen Sedley (formerly Lord Justice Sedley) and Baroness Scotland QC (former Shadow Attorney General and Attorney General of England, Wales and Northern Ireland) travelled to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory in September 2011 to assess the treatment of Palestinian children under Israeli military law.

Children in Military Custody assesses the treatment of Palestinian children under Israeli military law, examining each stage in the process: arrest, interrogation, bail hearings and plea bargains, trial, sentencing, detention and complaints.

The report deals with a comparative analysis of Israeli domestic law as it applies to Israeli children and Israeli military law as it applies to Palestinian children.The central questions addressed are: what are the differences between the two systems and is there any justification for these differences.

The project was funded by the United Kingdom Foreign and Commonwealth Office, which also provided diplomatic support throughout the visit, on the shared understanding that the delegation was to be entirely independent. The content, conclusions and recommendations of the report are accordingly the delegation’s own.

READ THE FULL ‘CHILDREN IN MILITARY CUSTODY’ REPORT HERE

See also:

Defence for Children International – Palestine
ADAMEER – Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association