Autistic Arab Israeli teen arrested in West Bank, held in harsh conditions – lawyer

A 14-year-old Arab Israeli boy with autism who was arrested in the West Bank earlier this month has been held in harsh prison conditions for nearly two weeks and subjected to beatings by guards and inmates, his lawyer said Wednesday.

The detainee, an Israeli citizen from central Israel, was arrested for unclear reasons by military forces on the morning of October 17 while visiting his mother’s family in Ramallah.

He was handed over to the Tel Aviv District police’s investigations and intelligence unit for interrogation. The details of the investigation are under a gag order.

In the meantime, the juvenile is being held in the Russian Compound, a detention facility in Jerusalem, where he has been subjected to beatings and humiliation by prison guards, according to his lawyer in the Public Defender’s Office.

“He is receiving extremely harsh treatment — beatings, abuse, humiliation, starvation. He’s freezing and doesn’t even have the most basic things, like a mattress,” Igal Dotan told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

Guards later put him in a small cell with five other teenage boys, who have been bullying him, humiliating him and taking his food, the attorney claimed.

Police have not revealed to Dotan the investigation material and evidence against his client, though they have shown their findings to the court.

“I know in general that this case is about supposed security offenses, but specifically, I have no way of knowing at this stage, or ever [what the specific suspicions are],” he said.

Over the past 12 days, the attorney has been in and out of remand extension hearings for his client, the latest of which was scheduled for Wednesday morning in juvenile court in Bat Yam.

“We are talking about an innocent minor whom the law must defend. The prison service is contravening the law,” he said. “But courts, when they see a case with security-related suspicions, prefer to ignore the detainee’s situation and align with the state’s requests. It’s extremely regrettable.”

Dotan said that his client is not the only one to suffer inhumane conditions and abuse by prison guards while detained, claiming that practices such as beatings, humiliation and withholding of food have become commonplace since the shock Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Rights groups, legal aid organizations and lawyers have reported frequent mistreatment of inmates in Israeli prisons, particularly Palestinian security prisoners.

The High Court of Justice ruled in September that the state was not adequately feeding security prisoners, and ordered the Israel Prison Service to take steps to provide prisoners with enough food “to enable a basic existence.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the prison system in his role, has often touted the sharp decline in conditions for security prisoners on his watch, and earlier this week bragged to a Knesset committee that jails have “become a nightmare for terrorists.”

The IPS rejected Dotan’s claims, saying that the detainee “is being held in accordance with a court decision, with his rights fully upheld.”

“He is receiving appropriate care, including equipment, clothing, food, and hygiene supplies as required. Contrary to the claims, the detainee has been examined several times by medical personnel during his detention and was found to be in good condition, with no signs of injury or harm,” said the agency.

“The Israel Prison Service operates in accordance with the law and regulations, ensuring the safety, well-being, and rights of all detainees, especially minors,” it said.