The urgent letter
Sunday, April 21, 2024, 15:12 Last week, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant signed a three-month administrative detention order against the 16-year-old minor who was detained at the beginning of the week after demonstrations following the murder of Binyamin Ahimeir, Hy”d, near Havat Malachei HaShalom. The Jerusalem Magistrates Court released another Yehuda and Shomron resident who was detained with the minor. The minor is currently being held by the GSS who is refusing to transfer him to a prison even though the order demands it.
Before the administrative order was signed, Jerusalem Magistrates Court Judge Gad Ehrenberg ordered Mivtan, the department of the Justice Ministry authorized to investigate complaints by GSS detainees, to investigate alleged abuse by GSS interrogators of the two detainees. The abuse includes sexual harassment, illegal restraints, and preventing one of the detainee’s access to tefillin.
Honenu Attorney Daniel Shimshilashvili, who is representing the minor, wrote an urgent letter last night (after Shabbat) asking the Jerusalem District Court to release him from the illegal detention. In the letter to Judge Moshe Sobol, Attorney Shimshilashvili wrote that although over three days had passed since the order that instructs the minor’s transfer to a prison was given, he is still being held in a GSS facility. Following the request, this morning, Judge Sobol ordered the State to give a reply by 15:00.
In the letter, Attorney Shimshilashvili cited that detaining the minor in GSS facilities is illegal, and therefore he should be immediately released. Additionally, he explained that the GSS, who used illegal means of interrogation including physical assault by interrogators, are continuing their problematic conduct. The GSS is taking the law into their own hands and blatantly ignoring the order signed by Defense Minister Gallant: “Whoever decides to deprive a minor – who does not have any prior convictions – of his freedom, with such draconian means as this order, must act according to the law, certainly not in opposition to the order. Therefore, the minor should be immediately released to the detention center.”
Honenu Attorney Daniel Shimshilashvili commented on the case: “Not surprisingly, we are again witnesses to a law violation and the abuse of my client’s human rights. He is a minor with no criminal record who was thrown into the GSS dungeons through no fault of his own. There is not even a scrap of evidence incriminating him, and he is being held illegally in violation of an order signed by Defense Minister Gallant. Therefore, I wrote an urgent letter to the Jerusalem District Court President asking him to immediately release the minor. I hope that the honorable Court President will put an end to this disgraceful saga.”