Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar; Photo credit: Honenu
Sunday, November 17, 2024, 16:50 Two weeks ago, a Kiryat Arba resident was detained on suspicion of assaulting Arabs, and subsequently released by the court. Currently, the GOC of the Central Command, Major-General Avi Bluth, has imposed a two-month administrative house arrest on the resident. However, the location of the house arrest is at his grandparents’ home, and the order was issued without either their knowledge or permission. On behalf of the resident, Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar wrote a letter to Maj.-Gen. Bluth requesting an alternative to the house arrest.
In his letter, Attorney Keidar leveled criticism at Maj.-Gen. Bluth: “[My client] was recently detained for criminal charges for which substantial evidence was never found. In the end, the court released him. Not two weeks later, my client suddenly received an extremely oppressive administrative house arrest order. The address stipulated in the order at which he must stay for two months is none other than his grandparent’s home. The grandparents were not consulted to verify if the arrangement was suitable for them before the order was issued.”
Attorney Keidar further wrote, “The seriousness of the display of power-drunkenness and loss of sense with regard to the fundamental rights of law-abiding citizens is difficult to exaggerate. It is debatable whether Major-General [Bluth] has the authority to severely restrict my client’s rights, and yet he has gone so far as to decide for my client’s grandparents, elderly law-abiding citizens who have not done anything wrong, that they must host their grandson in their home for two months. How could he have been so bold as to control their routine without it occurring to anybody in the Central Command that their consent was necessary?”
Attorney Keidar requested an alternative location for the house arrest: “Regarding the matter at hand, my client’s grandparents are completely unable to host him at their home. My client’s place of residence is in Kiryat Arba, and that is the only place he will be able to stay under complete house arrest. Another option is replacing the order with a restraining order banning him from entering Yehuda and Shomron, and he will try to find an alternative place to live.”
Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar: “The excessive and increasing use of administrative orders has had a detrimental effect on fundamental and human rights. It appears that the orders have not been given with due consideration to the violation of those rights that are by necessity violated by administrative penalties, which under certain circumstances are legally justified. This lack of consideration casts severe doubt on the justification for the orders that are all too frequently issued. We will continue to fight the persecution of Yehuda and Shomron residents with all legal means.”