Decision to be given in 6 weeks on administrative detainees

Wednesday, November 4, 2015, 10:15 Honenu Attorney Yuval Zemer: “The standpoint of the State gives the impression that right-wing activists are the most serious security problem at the moment.”
On Monday, November 2, a deliberation took place at the Central District Court to reexamine the six-month administrative detention orders issued by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon in early August 2015 to Meir Ettinger, Eviatar Slonim and Mordechai Meyer. In accordance with a recommendation by the GSS, representatives of the State of Israel demanded that the current remand be continued in light of the current terror wave raging throughout Israel, which in their opinion creates a volatile atmosphere.
Honenu Attorneys Aharon Roza, Itzik Bam, and Yuval Zemer, who are representing the three administrative detainees, pleaded at the deliberation that there is no justification for a remand which is based on ordinances from the time of the British Mandate and is not supported by evidence. Judge Avraham Tal ruled that a decision will be handed down in approximately six weeks.
Honenu Attorney Yuval Zemer, who is representing Meir Ettinger stated: “The opinion of the GSS mentioned in the deliberation, according to which his [Ettinger’s] release at this time is liable to escalate the security situation is tantamount to ‘Did you murder and also inherit?’. The standpoint of the State gives the impression that the actions of right-wing activists are the most serious security problem at the moment and not the wave of Arab terror to which we have been witness during the past few weeks. The cynical use of the current security situation tells us more than anything else that there is no genuine justification to continue the administrative detention and that it is solely political.”
Honenu Attorney Itzik Bam, who is representing Mordechai Meyer, said after the deliberation: “Administrative detention is a sad parody of the judicial process. In this parody a man is thrown in jail without a conviction, without a trial, without being told so much as the reason for his detention, and without the opportunity to contend with the ‘secret’ evidence which the GSS has claimed to have collected on him. Mr. Mordechai Meyer has been in jail for three months without knowing even the reason for his detention. This conduct is characteristic of dictatorships. It is unfortunate that the court is supporting it.”
Honenu Attorney Aharon Roza, who is representing Eviatar Slonim, reported: “Two days ago a deliberation took place on paragraph 5 of the law which orders that the administrative detention be reexamined. In light of what was said at the deliberation and the essence of the information which I have received, I reasoned that there is no justification to continue the administrative detention and thus I pleaded.”