Wednesday, March 1, 2017, 14:38 On Sunday, February 26, the Jerusalem Magistrate Court ruled that the police must compensate with 2,800 NIS a minor from Gush Etzion who was brought to court while handcuffed and leg-cuffed, in violation of regulations
The minor in court;
Photo credit: Honenu
which prohibits unnecessary handcuffing in a public place. Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado filed the suit on behalf of the minor.
During the deliberations on the suit the police representatives admitted that regulations determine that a minor be handcuffed only if there is either a concern that he will escape or another specific reason, in which case the policemen are required to fill out a report which states the reason for the handcuffing.
In this case no report was filled out and detectives from the Unit of Nationalist Crime in the Central Unit of the Yehuda and Shomron Police handcuffed the minor without cause. Initially the police representatives claimed that the minor had not been handcuffed. However a Honenu representative who accompanied the youth to the court took photographs which prove that he was handcuffed and leg-cuffed. The State of Israel reached an agreement with Yado according to which a verdict would be given without explanations and compensation limited to a maximum of 4,000 NIS. On Sunday, February 26, Ophir Yehezkel, the senior registrar of the Jerusalem Magistrate Court ruled that the police will compensate the minor with 2,800 NIS.
Honenu noticed in handling a number of similar cases, some of which are already being tried in the courts, that it appears that the phenomenon of policemen who violate the regulations and thereby injury detainees over and over again is widespread.
Honenu Attorney Moshe Yado: “This is one of many cases we have handled in order to remind the Israeli Police that settlers and right-wing activists also have human and civil rights which must be protected. The discrepancy between the norms written in laws and regulations and the treatment that detainees receive from policemen is as different as night from day. I have no doubt that this verdict will assist in correcting the situation and reducing the number of injustices committed by law enforcement agents.”