October 1989, Page 22

Human Rights

Israeli Officials Deny Complicity in Torture and Murder of Palestinian-American Boy

By Sally C. Nyhan

A 14-year-old Palestinian-American boy was found dead in the town of El-Bireh in the West Bank on August 18, 1989.

The boy, Amjad Hussein Jibril, who grew up in Colorada and has family in Miami, had been missing since Aug. 16. His body, found on a hillside near El-Bireh, bore signs of torture, including a fractured skull, broken teeth, and cigarette burns. Jarbil's left eye was missing and he had been shot in the heart at point-blank range.

A US consulate spokesperson in Jerusalem confirmed that Jabril's mother had personally appeared before US authorities on Aug. 17 to report the disappearance of her son and insisted that he was being held by Israeli troops. The family last saw the boy on Aug. 16 when he went to prayers at the local mosque. Witnesses said that Jabril was among a group of boys shot at by Israeli troops after a demonstration broke out at the mosque. Family members were told at the local police station that Jabril had been detained and held for questioning, but an IDF spokesperson denied those reports.

The US consulate general demanded an Israeli investigation into the death. After an autopsy, Israeli military officials denied that the army had been involved, but released no details of the autopsy nor gave any clues as to who might have killed Jabril.

Two other youths, 18-year-old Amjad Sherif Suleiman, a Palestinian-American, and 15-year-old Mohammed Ali Keishi, a permanent resident of the United States, were arrested the same day as Jibril. Israeli authorities have refused to release any information on Suleiman and Keishi, despite requests from the boys' parents.

Israeli Court Limits Use of House Demolitions

On July 30, Israel's Supreme Court restricted the army's practice of demolishing homes of suspects in the occupied territories, ruling that residents have the right to appeal in court before any action is taken. The court's unanimous decision limits the army's ability to carry out its policy of punitive demolitions, which was criticized by the US and international human rights organizations as a violation of the Geneva conventions. The ruling allows residents of a house ordered destroyed the opportunity to appeal to the local military commander within 48 hours. If refused, the residents then have another 48 hours to appeal to the Supreme Court.

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel brought the case to court after large-scale demolitions in the West Bank village of Beita in April 1988. The demolitions followed a clash between Israeli settlers and residents in which two Palestinian villagers and a 15-year-old Jewish girl were killed. Fourteen houses were immediately demolished by the army, which later admitted that the girl had been shot accidently by the same Jewish setller who had killed the Palestinian villagers.

Civil rights groups hope that the delay will lessen the military's desire to carry out such collective punishments, which are banned by international law. The Association for Civil Rights in Israel estimated that 200 houses in the occupied territories have been demolished since the start of the intifada, with another 100 houses sealed off.

Administrative Detention Doubled

Israeli military authorities doubled the length of time for which persons can be held in "administrative detention" in the occupied territories from six months to one year. Prisoners held under administrative detention do not have to be informed of the charges against them, and do not have to be brought to trial. The Washington Post reported that as many as 2,111 Palestinians are currently being held under administrative detention.

The new order does allow prisoners the right to appeal their detention before a military judge every six months.

The decision outraged Israeli civil rights advocates, who argue that administrative detention is a violation of the Geneva Convention and has been used to silence Palestinian political leaders, journalists, and other activists not suspected of violent activity.

Most administrative detainees are held in the Ketziot camp, which has been repeatedly cited as a site of human rights abuses by international human rights organizations. The US has declared its opposition to the policy of administrative detention and has urged the Israeli government to stop the practice.

Five More Palestinians Deported

The Israeli government deported five more Palestinians on Aug. 27, bringing to 13 the number of people deported this summer. Four of the men were deported to southern Lebanon, the Palestine News Agency reported. The fifth man, former physics professor Dr. Taysir Aruri, was deported to Paris, where he was granted political asylum. The five men had been arrested last year and charged with participation in the intifada. The US has repeatedly condemned Israel's deportation policy.

On Aug. 31, the UN Security Council adopted a resolution that "deplores" the Israeli deportations and calls on Israel to respect the Geneva Convention in the occupied territories. The US abstained from the vote.

US Congressional Delegation Investigates Turkish Violations

A US Congressional delegation in Turkey to investigate reports of human rights violations expressed concern over an estimated 6,000 Turkish political prisoners still in jail.

Senators Dennis DeConcini (D-AZ) and Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) visited Turkish prisoners and camps for Kurdish refugees from Iraq, who fled to Turkey last year after allegedly being attacked with poison gas.

The visit coincided with a hunger strike by Turkish prisoners designed to call attention to the poor conditions in Turkish jails. A spokesman for Helsinki Watch, one of the human rights organizations monitoring abuses in Turkey, said that while conditions in prison were improving slightly, they still remained "inhumane" and that beatings were often the result of official policy.

Over 2,000 inmates in 16 prisons were taking part in the hunger strikes. Most were arrested for Kurdish separatist activity. Turkey has refused to grant official refugee status to the Kurds and earlier this year rejected $8 million of US aid for the refugees.

The Turkish justice minister has announced that Turkish jails will implement dress codes and visitation and information rights for prisoners.

Two Human Rights Activists Detained in Egypt

The Cairo-based Arab Organization for Human Rights said that two human rights activists were detained on Aug. 24 in a crackdown on opposition by Egyptian police.

Dozens of other dissidents were also arrested by police, the organization said. Egyptian police routinely detain Islamic militants under emergency powers in effect since the 1981 murder of former Egyptian President Anwar Sadat.

Sally Nyhan is the book club editor at the American Educational Trust.