Honenu Attorneys Rom (L) and Keidar (R); Photo credit: Honenu
Tuesday, September 10, 2024, 18:09 In late July, ten soldiers were detained at the Sde Teiman military base on suspicion of assaulting a Nukhba terrorist prisoner. Honenu Attorneys Nati Rom and Adi Keidar are representing some of the soldiers.
One month ago, as media coverage of the Sde Teiman case was at its height, and stormy protests in support of the detained soldiers were taking place, Channel 12 (Israel) broadcast a leaked video clip that allegedly provides video proof of the assault. The video clip was a compilation of edited segments of several video clips, and it was shared throughout the world and eagerly welcomed in antisemitic and anti-Israel circles, which caused enormous damage to the image of the State of Israel.
In light of the damage, Attorney Rom wrote a letter to the Attorney General demanding that she order an investigation into the leak and put those responsible for it on trial. The Attorney General replied that she had transferred the handling of the investigation to the IDF.
Attorney Rom also issued a statement: “The authorities who ordered the detention of the soldiers are attempting to cover up the injustice caused by leaking the fabricated video clip that portrays our finest soldiers as violent, dangerous individuals. Due process of law is being trampled, the investigative process is being abused, and there is excessive motivation to find the soldiers guilty. I hope very much that the authorities in charge of law enforcement will investigate and prosecute those responsible for the leak with all due haste. That will eliminate the need to request the relevant assistance from the Supreme Court.”
In light of the media leak, the Beit Lid Military Court of Appeals ruled that, “The Military Advocate General is required to promptly reply to the question of how investigative material reached the news media, in light of the claims of possible damage to the integrity of the investigation.”
Following the last house arrest extension, the Honenu Attorneys Rom and Keidar requested to receive the investigative material in the case from the military prosecution.
Please click here for a description by the detained Sde Teiman soldiers of the incident.
Please click here for a statement from Hila, the wife of one of the soldiers detained at the Sde Teiman military base on suspicion of assaulting a Nukhba terrorist, who leveled sharp criticism at the Military Advocate General over his detention.
On July 30, the court ignored the soldiers’ concerned families and held a hearing in their absence.
Initially, Honenu Attorneys Rom and Keidar were prevented on various pretexts from meeting with the detainees and granting them legal counsel.