Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Photo credit: Honenu
Wednesday, November 25, 2020, 15:00 A routine check at an army barrier in place due to the closed military zone order which has been imposed on the residents of the Kumi Ori neighborhood in Yitzhar since October 2019 resulted in several detentions.
On Wednesday, November 25, the Petah Tikva Magistrates Court rejected the police request to extend the remand of the detainees from Yitzhar and ordered their release. A Yitzhar resident, who was detained on suspicion of disturbing a policeman in the line of duty, was released on bail without restrictions.
An additional detainee, a Kumi Ori resident, who was injured in the face as a result of police brutality during his detention, was released to several days of house arrest at his home. The court has permitted him to leave his house for prayers at times set by the court. The resident was interrogated on suspicion of assaulting a policeman and endangering human life in a traffic lane.
After the deliberation, Honenu Attorney Nati Rom, who is representing the detainees, said: “Despite the overblown announcements by the Israeli Police that there had been an attempted ramming attack – and there were other attempts to demonize the residents of the site – there had not been an attempted ramming attack, and the court accepted our claims. It is unfortunate that one of the detainees returned with bruises all over his body. We hope that the extensive use of accusations of assaulting or disturbing a policeman in the line of duty in situations such as this will stop.”
Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Video credit: Honenu