The Israeli Ofer military court sentenced wounded Palestinian child prisoner Natalie Shokha, 15, to one and a half years in Israeli prison on Monday, 19 December. Natalie, from the village of Rammun near Ramallah, was shot by occupation soldiers on 28 April with a live bullet in her back and chest. She and another minor girl, Tasneem Halabi, were accused of seeking to stab Israeli occupation forces.
A letter from Natalie to her mother was widely distributed internationally:
My greetings to all of the generous people of my beloved village, Rammun. My greetings to the council of the village and to everyone who supports its development.
Mother, I am in now in prison a member of the cultural committee. I have also become a member of the magazine. I discuss novels and I am the fourth in reading. 🙁 Thank God at any rate.
Mom, Dad, everyone here is proud of your raising of me. Have your head held high. And I am living in the room with six other girls. We are the twelve flowers (security prisoners who are minor girls). We live together through bad and good times. Mom, please say hello to all and tell them I miss them so much and that I am sorry if I forgot anyone. May God bring us together, united, soon. God, bring us freedom now!
They will not imprison the scent of jasmine in a flower!
The prisoner Natalie Shokha
HaSharon Prison
Division 14
Natalie is held in HaSharon prison with other women prisoners and minor girls. Military court hearings in her case have been repeatedly postponed due to her severe injuries from the shooting.
Natalie is one of over 300 Palestinian children imprisoned in Israeli prisons. Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network urges the immediate release of Natalie and all Palestinian child prisoners.
