Israeli soldiers arrest 16-year-old human rights defender Ahed Tamimi
Front Line Defenders welcomes the release from prison of Palestinian human rights defenders Ahed Tamimi and Nariman Tamimi on 29 July, after having each served eight-month prison sentences.
Ahed Tamimi is an activist in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, who has protested against land confiscation and the exploitation of natural resources for settlement construction, particularly the well of Nabi Saleh. She is known for her struggle against illegal settlement expansion, and has spoken in Brussels, Istanbul, and Johannesburg about Palestinian rights.
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- 30 July 2018 : Ahed and Nariman Tamimi released
- 22 March 2018 : 17-year-old WHRD sentenced to 8 months in prison
- 20 December 2017 : Detention of 16 year old human rights defender Ahed Tamimi extended, mother still detained and father arrested
- 19 December 2017 : Israeli soldiers arrest 16-year-old human rights defender Ahed Tamimi
Front Line Defenders welcomes the release from prison of Palestinian human rights defenders Ahed Tamimi and Nariman Tamimi on 29 July, after having each served eight-month prison sentences.
“We are happy that Ahed and Nariman are home with their family and that this absurd period is over for them,” said Executive Director Andrew Anderson. “while recognising that every day human rights defenders in the Occupied Palestinian Territory are subject to arbitrary measures by the Israeli government and its military administration of the West Bank and Gaza."
Ahed Tamimi is an anti-occupation activist in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank. Her work has focused on protesting human rights violations caused by land confiscation and the exploitation of natural resources for settlement construction, particularly the well of Nabi Saleh. Nariman Tamimi is a Palestinian human rights defender documenting abuses committed by Israeli authorities against protesters and villagers. She participates in peaceful protests in Ramallah as a medic to deliver help to injured protesters. Nariman Tamimi participated in the 2013 Front Line Defenders Dublin Platform for Human Rights Defenders.
On 19 December 2017, at approximately 4:00 a.m., Ahed Tamimi, aged 16 at the time, was arrested by Israeli soldiers in her home in Nabi Saleh. The day before her arrest, she had been involved in a protest, organised to denounce the shooting of her cousin, 14 year-old Mohammed Tamimi, who was hit in the face with a rubber bullet fired by Israeli soldiers. During the raid, soldiers forcibly entered her home and physically assaulted Ahed’s mother, Nariman Tamimi, and her other children. Soldiers and intelligence officers also confiscated electronic devices, including laptops, cameras, and mobile phones. Subsequently, at approximately 1:30 p.m. that day, Nariman Tamimi went to Binyamin Detention Center to ask about the whereabouts of her daughter, when she was herself detained at the detention centre.
On 22 March 2018, Ahed Tamimi was sentenced to eight months in prison and a fine of 5000 shekels (€1,165). The human rights defender agreed to plead guilty to four out of the 12 charges initially brought against her in order to reduce the total sentence that she could have received following a military trial. Ahed Tamimi agreed to plead guilty to “attacking two Israeli army officials”, “disrupting a soldier” and “carrying out incitement”. The military prosecutor dropped the other eight charges against her which included “stone throwing”, “incitement to terror”; and “stabbings”. Nariman Tamimi, and Ahed’s cousin Nour Tamimi, who was also arrested, were charged with “incitement on social media” and sentenced to 8 months in prison and a fine of 6000 shekels (€1,400) and 16 days in prison and a fine of 2000 shekels (€465) respectively.
On 22 March 2018, Ahed Tamimi was sentenced to 8 months in prison and a fine 5000 shekels ($1437). The human rights defender agreed to plead guilty to four out of the 12 charges initially brought against her to reduce the total sentences she could have received following a military trial. Tamimi pleaded guilty to 'attacking two Israeli army officials’, ‘disrupting a soldier’ and 'carrying out incitement'. The military prosecutor dropped the other eight charges against Tamimi which included 'stone throwing', 'incitement to terror; and 'stabbings'. The three months Ahed Tamimi has already spent in prison will be counted as part of her overall sentence. The human rights defender's mother, Nariman Tamimi, and cousin, Nour Tamimi, who were charged with ‘incitement on social media’, were sentenced, respectively, to 8 months in prison and a fine 6000 shekels ($1725) and 16 days in prison and a fine 2000 shekel ($575).
Update: On 13 February 2018, Ofer Military judge ordered that the trial of Ahed Tamimi take place in "in-camera" hearings. The order effectively results in closed-session hearings, and press and diplomatic observers will not be able to attend the hearings. The trial is scheduled to begin on 11 March 2018.
Update: The trial of Ahed Tamimi is scheduled to begin on 13 February 2018 at Ofer Military Court.
On 20 December 2017, the detention of 16 year-old human rights defender Ahed Tamimi was extended for 5 days by Ofer Military Court. The child’s lawyer was told that she is being investigated on charges of assaulting a soldier, disturbing a soldier, offending a public officer, and disturbance of the public order.
In the early hours of 19 December 2017, Ahed Tamimi was arrested during a military raid on her home. Her mother, Nariman Tamimi, was detained the same day when she went to Binyamin Detention Center to ask of the whereabouts of her child and to be present during the her interrogation. On Wednesday 20 December 2017, Ahed Tamimi’s father, Bassem Tamimi was arrested while attending Ahed’s hearing session in military court. His whereabouts remain unknown.
Ahed Tamimi was arrested at approximately 4:00 am on 19 December 2017. She was taken from her home by Israeli soldiers into a military jeep, and is currently being held in Ofer prison. One day prior to her arrest, she had been protesting against occupation soldiers who shot 14 year-old Mohammed Tamimi in the face. The 14 year-old is currently in critical condition after waking from a medically-induced coma. During the raid, soldiers forcibly entered her home and physically assaulted Nariman Tamimi and her children. Soldiers and intelligence officers also confiscated electronic devices, including laptops, cameras, and mobile phones. Subsequently, at approximately 1:30 pm that day, Nariman Tamimi went to Binyamin Detention Center to ask about the whereabouts of her daughter, when she was then herself detained at the detention centre.
Ahed Tamimi is a 16-year old activist in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank whose work has focused on protesting land confiscation and the exploitation of natural resources for settlement construction, particularly the well of Nabi Saleh. Nariman Tamimi is a Palestinian human rights defender documenting abuses committed by Israeli authorities against protesters and villagers. She participates in peaceful protests in Ramallah as a medic to deliver help to injured protesters. Bassem Tamimi is a leader of the Nabi Saleh Popular Struggle Committee in Ramallah, a non-violent group protesting against Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Palestinian territory through weekly peaceful demonstrations.
Front Line Defenders condemns the arrests of Ahed Tamimi, her mother Nariman Tamimi, and her father, Bassem Tamimi. Front Line Defenders further underlines that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 37 (b) states that: “No child shall be deprived of his or her liberty unlawfully or arbitrarily. The arrest, detention 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.”
Israeli soldiers arrested 16-year-old human rights defender Ahed Tamimi during a military raid on her home in the early hours of 19 December 2017. When her mother, Nariman Tamimi, went to Binyamin Detention Center to look for her child following the raid, soldiers detained her as well.
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Ahed Tamimi is an activist in the village of Nabi Saleh in the occupied West Bank, who has protested against land confiscation and the exploitation of natural resources for settlement construction, particularly the well of Nabi Saleh. She is world renowned for her struggle against illegal settlement expansion, and has spoken in Brussels, Istanbul, and Johannesburg about Palestinian rights.
"Ahed Tamimi became a human rights defender so young because she was born and raised under Israeli occupation, surrounded by Palestinian resistance,” said Front Line Defenders Head of Protection, Ed O'Donovan, speaking from Dublin. “Her human rights activism seems to terrify Israel's military, who last night raided her home, dragged her from her family, and are holding her in an unknown location. We demand the immediate and unconditional release of Ahed."
During the raid, Israeli officers broke into Ahed's family's home, forced her into a military jeep, and are holding her in an undisclosed location. A day prior to her arrest she was protesting against the shooting of 14-year-old Mohammed Tamimi, who was shot in the face by Israeli soldiers and is currently in critical condition in a medically-induced coma. During the raid on her home, soldiers forcibly entered the house and physically assaulted Ahed's mother, and Ahed's siblings. Soldiers and intelligence officers confiscated electronic devices, including laptops, cameras, and mobile phones.
The village of Nabi Saleh is a Palestinian village northwest of Ramallah that has been subjected to what has been called a “silent ethnic cleansing”, with a current population of about 600 according to 2016 census. With the construction and subsequent expansion of the illegal settlement of Halamish, Palestinian land from the village has been stolen, a barrier has been put in place prohibiting access of farmers to their land, resources of fresh water springs have been pillaged by settlers, and access to the village well has been restricted. Weekly protests have taken place since December 2009.
Front Line Defenders condemns the arrest of the child Ahed Tamimi and the subsequent arrest of her mother Nariman Tamimi. Front Line Defenders demands that the Israeli authorities immediately and unconditionally release Ahed Tamimi and Nariman Tamimi, who are being held solely as a result of Ahed's legitimate and peaceful work in the defence of human rights.
