Thursday, March 7, 2024, 10:11 Honenu Attorney Nati Rom was detained two days ago at the Netivot Police Station. He had come to advise demonstrators who were detained at the Kerem Shalom Crossing and taken into the station after attempting to block trucks transporting humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip. Attorney Rom waited at the entrance to the station and spoke to police officers. The officers asked him to leave the station after he demanded that the detainees be granted all of their rights, including the right to meet with an attorney. The officers then informed Attorney Rom that he was being taken into custody. Afterward, they illegally detained him, took his cell phone, and threw him into a detention cell. He was released several hours later.
Honenu Attorney Nati Rom; Video credit: Honenu
Attorney Rom described how he was illegally detained: “In the early hours of the morning, Honenu received a report of dozens of detainees at the Kerem Shalom Crossing. They were demonstrating at a legitimate protest against the transfer of aid to the enemy during a time of war. I hurried to the Netivot Police Station. After a long wait, I saw one of my clients walking past me with several police officers. I presented myself to her and told her to maintain her right to remain silent until I met with her for consultation – a basic right of detainees in the State of Israel. This, apparently, did not concern the duty officer who flew into a rage, yelled, and detained me.”
Honenu Attorney Nati Rom reacted to his reprehensible detention: “I am not the story here. I was released after several hours. The story is selective law enforcement against protesters at one of the most justified protests in the history of the State of Israel. We have not seen treatment like this at other protests [such as the anti-judicial reform protests on Kaplan Street]. We expect protests and protesters at the Kerem Shalom Crossing to receive the same fair treatment that other protests receive. We are putting together a civil suit against the police officers who were involved with the incident. The compensation funds we expect to be awarded will be donated to communities in the Gaza Envelope, Yehuda, and Shomron.”