Palestinian American boy, Tarek Abu Khdeir, was beaten brutally by Israeli occupation forces only days after the vicious murder of his cousin, Mohammad Abu Khdeir, by Israeli settlers. Tarek, 15, has no charges against him – yet his detention has been extended. Click here for action items to demand Tarek’s freedom.
Press Release from the family of Tarek Abu Khdeir:
Following the brutal abduction and murder of 16-year-old Mohammad Abu Khdeir in Jerusalem, his cousin, 15-year-old Tarek Abu Khdeir, a Palestinian-American child in Jerusalem on holiday from Tampa, Florida is in Israeli detention after being beaten by two undercover Israeli police agents last night.
Despite needing critical medical attention for severe injuries to his head and face, the Israeli authorities denied medical treatment for 5 hours before he was transferred to Hadassa Hospital. He was then taken directly to court and is currently in detention at the notorious Russian compound (al-Maskobiya), known for brutal interrogation techniques.
His father, Salah Abu Khdeir, asked that his son be seen at a hospital of the family’s choosing, but was denied, and was subsequently denied having an Arab doctor present during Tarek’s treatment. Although his son was unconscious, he was chained to the bed. While in the hospital, his face had swollen to a degree to which he could not speak when conscious and blood was also found in his urine, concerning family that there could be internal bleeding.
Photos via Addameer
He has not yet been formally charged, though prosecutors claim he was throwing stones despite being unable to provide any evidence to the court. When asked by the court under what basis Tarek was being held, prosecutors said they were still “collecting evidence.” His hearing is scheduled for Sunday.
Tarek is in dire need of medical attention and his family is calling for his immediate release after this brutal beating and arbitrary arrest.
See the video (which shows his beating):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDENWwEDGr4
For additional information, please contact: (703) 879-6353 or [email protected]
“No charges or accusations have been brought against Tarek, yet his despite his young age and unlawful treatment, his detention has been extended until the morning of Sunday 6 July in the Court of First Instances in Jerusalem.
Tarek is one of 11 Palestinians who were beaten and arrested in Shofat last night following the brutal murder of 16-year old child Mohammad Abu Khdeir, who was found beaten and burned on the ruins of Palestinian destroyed village Deir Yassin hours after he was kidnapped in a retribution act. The Israeli government has instated a gag-order regarding the circumstances of Mohammad’s kidnapping and murder.The continued state-sanctioned violence against children is unlawful and unacceptable.Addameer urges immediate action and calls on the United Nations, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United States consulate and all regional embassies and consulates, human rights organizations and journalists to attend Tarek Abu Khdeir’s hearing on Sunday 6 July to investigate the intensified aggression against Palestinian children.”
1. Call the US Embassy in Tel Aviv and demand Tarek’s release and access to medical care. The embassy’s number is +972-3-519-7575.
2. Contact Rep. Cathy Castor (http://castor.house.gov/contact/), Sen. Marco Rubio (http://www.rubio.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact and @MarcoRubio) and Sen. Bill Nelson (http://www.billnelson.senate.gov/contact-bill and @SenBillNelson) to let them know you expect them to do something about what happened to their young constituent.
3. TWITTERSTORM Saturday, July 5th at 11:00am Pacific Time / 1:00pm Central time/ 2:00pm Eastern Time/ 9:00pm Palestine time, we will be tweeting about Tarek using the hashtag #FreeTarek.
