Detainee released thanks to video documentation

Thursday, December 14, 2017, 21:08 At a Petah Tikva Magistrate Court deliberation on Thursday, December 14, Judge Ronen Peleg rejected a police demand for a six-day remand extension and released a Havat Gilad resident who had been detained by detectives the previous day while he was at work in Karnei Shomron. The detainee was interrogated on suspicion of assaulting policemen during the evacuation earlier the same week of a structure in Havat Gilad.
At the deliberation, Honenu Attorney Nati Rom presented video clips documenting police conduct at the detention and also at the evacuation which preceded it. The police detective who detained the Havat Gilad resident informed him that there was an outstanding detention warrant against him, which was incorrect. There was no warrant of any type outstanding against him. In an additional video clip the detainee is seen standing near the demonstration being held on-site in protest of the evacuation, and not doing anything, contrary to the claim by the police that the detainee assaulted policemen during the evacuation. At the end of the deliberation the detainee was released to several days of house arrest.
Honenu Attorney Nati Rom severely criticized the conduct of the police in the case, “The Israeli Police demanded a six-day extension of my client’s remand. Thanks to the video clips we succeeded in proving that contrary to what the Israeli Police claimed, the policeman did not have a detention warrant at the time of the detention, and contrary to the Detention Law he was not informed of the reason for his detention. It is inconceivable that the Israeli Police would lie to a suspect and tell him that they have a detention warrant when they have none, but that was proven thanks to recordings of the detention, which illustrates the need for filming policemen in action. It is regretful that the Israeli Police, who are entrusted with enforcing the law, repeatedly violate it.
“Also, the Israeli Police found it appropriate to confiscate my client’s kippa, claiming a need to photograph it, which is baseless, and was done without authorization. My client’s religious rights were violated and he was humiliated in public. We will complain to the Police Investigation Unit about it,” added Rom.