JERUSALEM — One out of more than 800 Palestinian children charged with throwing stones in the West Bank over a six-year period was acquitted, according to the Israeli human rights group B’Tselem.

Ninety-three percent of the 834 under-18s who were convicted were given prison sentences by the Israeli military courts, including 19 children aged 12 and 13. The sentences ranged from a few days to 20 months. The imprisonment of Israeli children under the age of 14 is not allowed. B’Tselem said it based its figures on data provided by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) and relating to the years 2005-10. Most of the minors were aged 16 and 17, but 255 were 14 or 15, with 34 under 14.

Only five cases were brought to a full trial compared to 624 which ended with a plea bargain. “Judges order the vast majority of minors to be held in custody until the end of the criminal proceedings, forcing plea bargains. This is because even if the minor is eventually acquitted, he will spend a longer period of time in custody during the course of a full trial than the length of punishment if he pleads guilty in a plea bargain,” said B’Tselem.

B’Tselem interviewed 50 Palestinian minors for the report. Many described being arrested in the middle of the night, denied access to their families or lawyers and mistreatment. Only two of the children interviewed for the report, No Minor Matter, had an adult present during questioning.

“While incarcerated, the minors receive almost no family visits and face numerous restrictions on their ability to complete their studies,” it said.

Maher Abu Hanaineh, 16, who was arrested at night and taken for questioning at a police station in the West Bank settlement of Ariel, said: “When we arrived [at the police station], they took us from the jeep, put us in a room and told us to sit on the floor. About half an hour later, they removed our blindfolds. Three soldiers guarded us. I was very tired and my eyes closed a few times. Every time I closed my eyes, a soldier kicked me in the legs with his heavy boots.”