Deliberation ended at 3:07 A.M. – Ramat Migron detainees released

Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 16:20 At the end of a deliberation which ended after three in the morning, the Ramat Migron detainees were released. During the deliberation it became apparent that the police officer had decided to take the detainees into remand even before they had been interrogated, which is illegal.
Following the decision of the Jerusalem District Court, according to which the two detainees from Ramat Migron would be brought to a deliberation during the night, Judge Gad Ehrenberg scheduled the deliberation for 2:00 A.M.
During the deliberation the representative of the police demanded a restraining order banning the detainees from entering the outposts of Oz Tzion, Ramat Migron and Maoz Esther in the Binyamin region for 180 days. The interrogator, Avi Deri, admitted to the court that the police officer had decided to take the two detainees into remand overnight, even before they had been interrogated, which is illegal.
In his decision Judge Ehrenberg criticized the conduct of the police and ordered the release of the detainees under the condition of a restraining order banning them from the Ramat Migron outpost for 90 days, on the condition that the area is under a closed military zone order.
Honenu attorney Naftali Wertzberger, who represented the detainees, said in response to their release that, “Following the deliberation tonight, over which the honorable Judge Ehrenberg presided, it became clear that he gave the police and its officers unwarranted trust, believing that they considered only the good of the investigation. The results of the deliberation were that the police tried to make use of the remand of a minor and a young woman, both lacking a criminal record, as punishment. Only the district court protected citizens’ rights and saved them several hours of remand. We hope that the police and the courts will learn a lesson from this case.”