Rakan Nusseirat, 13 years old child from Jericho , who was detained in Ofer detention camp, near Ramallah, north of the West Bank for nearly three months, is considered the youngest detainee in Palestine since he was arrested when he was only twelve years old.
Nusseirat was arrested September 28, 2003 and released December 11, 2003 after his second attempt of suicide as a result of the continuous suffering and psychological problems he encountered in detention.
“It’s a nightmare…It’s a nightmare which I can never forget or free myself fromâ€Â, Rakan said, while receiving treatment and rehabilitation in the ‘Childhood Center †which belongs to the Ministry of Social Affairs.
Psychologists in the center said that harsh events are usually recorded in the memory of the detainee, especially being a child; it needs time and good care to adjust and start to respond to psychological aid depending on the period the detainee spent in detention and sorts of torture he encountered.
Medical reports revealed that Nusseirat is suffering from several symptoms, such as difficulties in breathing, nightmares, shivering, depression, insomnia, and anger, in addition to physical pain in his legs and his left thigh after being beaten by a soldier.
Rakan prior to his release was hospitalized in Hadassah Hospital in Jerusalem after suffering from several symptoms and anxiety attacks as a result of the continuous threats and torture imposed on him.
On October 7, 2003, a military court rejects the lawyer’s request to free him and was imprisoned for additional week, and in November 14, 2003, the court decided that he should be transferred to a “proper detention camp†after all central prisons refused to accept his because of his age.
The court’s decision was never implemented and Rakan remained in “Ofer†detention despite the testimony of an Israeli doctor about his bad condition, after examining him,
“The child should be sent to a center for minors, his life in danger, he cannot remain in this detention since he needs special careâ€Â, the doctor said.
Yet, he remained there until he was released.
Rakan is not the only child, who suffered from detention, there are 480 child detainees in the Israeli detention camps, and they all suffered from torture; physical and psychological, all were threatened to be killed if they don’t “confessâ€Â.
Army, and against all laws and regulations, continued its violations to the International Law, and International agreement concerning the rights of children, especially article number 37 in the International Agreement of Children Rights;
United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), article 37,
‘The arrest or imprisonment of a child shall be in conformity with the law and shall be used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time. ‘
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