Wednesday, January 11, 2023, 8:07 Yesterday (Tuesday), Jerusalem Magistrates Juvenile Court Judge David Shaul Gabai Richter brought food from his chambers and provided it to three minors. This unusual occurrence came when at the beginning of a hearing, Honenu Attorneys Nati Rom and Daniel Shimshilashvili, who are representing the minors, informed Judge Gabai Richter that the Yehuda and Shomron Police had not provided them with food as required after they had been detained for many hours. The attorneys also informed the judge that the minors had been illegally led handcuffed through public areas and to the courtroom. Judge Gabai Richter ordered the handcuffs removed.
During the hearing, Judge Gabai Richter rejected the request from the Yehuda and Shomron Police to extend the remand of the detainees by four days and ordered the release of two of the minors the same day (yesterday). An additional minor was conditionally released today. All three minors are suspected of participating in clashes with Arabs several weeks ago.
Honenu Attorneys Nati Rom and Daniel Shimshilashvili stated, “We welcome the decision by the court to order the release of our clients despite the request by the police to extend their remand by four days. However, we regret that once again, the authorities chose to harshly violate basic rights explicitly set by the legislature, led handcuffed minors through a public space, and denied them food as if they were inanimate objects. Unfortunately, this is neither an isolated nor an unusual incident. The Prison Service and the police must understand that they are not above the law. The public is not supposed to pay for compensation suits resulting from negligence by the authorities and their blatant and insubordinate failure to obey the law.”