Boy with Down syndrome arrested and jailed for “evading army draft”
Inmate with a mental disorder denied access to medicine or a doctor
When: Thursday, Sep. 18, 2025 at 12 PM
Where: Appeals Court, Mahane Rabin (HaKirya), Tel Aviv, Israel
Amidst the latest efforts by the Israeli government to draft religious Jewish boys into the IDF, two egregious cases of prisoner neglect have provoked a storm of protest.
Aryeh R. was arrested for draft evasion, and held in a military prison for over 50 days. Despite his clearly displaying signs of severe OCD, and despite his two attempted suicides while in prison, the Military Prosecutor's Office and the prison administration refuse to allow him access to a psychiatrist, or to the regular pills he takes to control his disorder.
Nachman Brand, a Down syndrome child recognized as such by Bituach Leumi (the national health insurance), was arrested yesterday at Ben Gurion Airport for draft evasion. (It’s unclear why the IDF would want to draft a Down syndrome child in the first place.) The Military Prosecutor denies the child access to a doctor, insisting on discussing the case only in court.
Activists in the Orthodox community have decried this abuse as a violation of the United Nations' Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners.
Update: Trial for Aryeh R. was rescheduled for Sunday 9/21 at 2 at the above location in Tel Aviv. Unbelievably, In response to the prisoner's attempted suicides, the authorities chained up his hands and feet, but still refuse him access to his medication or to a doctor!
Members of the media should contact the IDF spokesperson for permission to attend the trial.
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