Demonstration of torture methods; Photo credit: Otzma Yehudit
Since the July 2015 arson attack on the Dawabshe family’s house in Kfar Duma, Honenu has assisted many Jews accused of involvement with the crime. For a selection of posts describing Honenu Attorneys’ representation of defendants and GSS interrogees, including Amiram Ben Uliel, see here. To familiarize our readers with the case, Honenu has gathered – see here – various articles and short videos on the subject.
Sunday, June 27, 2021, 14:26 On Sunday, June 27, a hearing was held at the Supreme Court on the request by Amiram Ben Uliel’s attorneys to reveal confidential material held by the Attorney General’s office pertaining to the “necessary interrogations” and the extreme duress – a euphemism for torture – under which Ben Uliel was interrogated. Attorneys Avidgdor Feldman and Yehoshua Reznik, who are representing Ben Uliel, requested the material in order to prove that the interrogations were conducted in an illegal manner. This marks the opening of the appeals stage.
During the hearing Feldman claimed that “torture was applied for one purpose only – to extract a confession,” and added that “such means have never been at the center of a legal hearing.”
One piece of evidence the attorneys requested is a detailed document which describes the “necessary interrogations” and the extreme duress (torture) which Ben Uliel underwent. Ben Uliel’s defense team has an abridged document which the attorneys claim does not reflect what actually happened in the interrogation room.
The Attorney General’s office claimed that the detailed document is confidential. However Justice George Karra claimed that the wording of the certificate of confidentiality is extremely vague and that it does not include the document detailing the extreme duress (torture). Justice Karra requested the unabridged document in order to compare it with the abridged document which the defense received, so that he could determine whether or not the shortened version accurately reflects the original document. Justice Karra has not yet made a final decision.
The requested material includes the minutes and the letter of agreement from a meeting between the heads of the GSS and representatives of the Attorney General’s office in the GSS Headquarters that took place prior to the interrogations under duress (torture) of Ben Uliel. Attorney Raz Nizri, the Deputy Attorney General, mentioned the meeting on Uvda (an Israeli investigative and current affairs television program) in January 2020. Also included is documentation of the report to the then Attorney General, Yehuda Weinstein, concerning the use of torture and reports of the results of the interrogation which were received as the torture was applied.
Additionally, Ben Uliel’s attorneys have requested material regarding confidential material presented at the prosecution’s request to extend the order prohibiting Ben Uliel from meeting with an attorney, internal GSS orders regarding “necessary interrogations”, including the regulations for applying “special means” during interrogation, the authorization required for them and the fundamental nature of the “special means”.