Detained minors at ISA facility still forbidden to meet with attorney

Monday, July 11, 2016, 16:41 On the afternoon of Monday, July 11, Natzrat Magistrate Court Judge Ilanit Imber extended the remand of two minors detained in Migdal HaEmek the previous day by only three days, not eight days as the police had demanded.
The minors are still forbidden to meet with an attorney. Natzrat District Court Judge Avraham Avraham rejected the appeal on the matter filed by Attorney Lior Bar-Zohar, who is representing the minors on behalf of Honenu.
“The [Natzrat Magistrate] Court rejected the police demand to extend by eight days the minors’ remand and ordered an extension until only Thursday,” said Bar-Zohar. “In our opinion this proves that the accusations are baseless. We are certain that in the coming days justice will be served and the minors will be released.”
Concerning the rejection of the appeal on the prohibition to meet with an attorney, Bar-Zohar said that, “The court ‘bought’ the explanations by the ISA, which were given behind closed doors, leaving the minors without legal representation.”
On the morning of Monday, July 11, an additional minor was detained in the case and taken to an ISA facility. He also is forbidden to meet with an attorney. Details of the case and the detainees are under a gag order. The police stated that the case involves an incident of “nationalistic crime”.
Honenu intends to file an appeal with the Israeli Supreme Court on the decision to forbid the minors from meeting with an attorney.
Honenu: “Once again minors have been taken to an ISA facility and forbidden to meet with an attorney, an extreme step which violates their basic right to legal representation. Democratic rights in Israel are being trampled and no-one is raising even the slightest protest.
“We have already seen how Kochav HaShahar’s youth coordinator, a recipient of the President’s Award For Excellence in the IDF, was held in remand by the ISA for over 10 days under severe conditions as if he were the worst terrorist and then, six months later, the Attorney General’s office formally acknowledged what Honenu had asserted from the very first moment he was detained: the youth coordinator never had any connection to any violation of the law.
“This situation should make anyone who cares about citizens’ rights lose sleep. Unfortunately it appears that the public has not yet internalized the severity of the matter.”