Jewish minors released

Tuesday, July 7, 2015, 20:24 The Jerusalem Magistrate Court released two Jewish minors who were detained after an altercation with Arabs. The court also criticized the police for releasing the adult Arabs who had participated in the altercation and leaving the Jewish youths in remand, during the course of which their rights were violated.
On Tuesday, July 7 the Jerusalem Magistrate Court accepted the opinion of Honenu attorney David HaLevi and ordered the release of two Jewish youths, 13 and 14 years old, who were detained on suspicion of involvement in an altercation with Arabs the previous day near their home on Shivtei Yisrael Street in Jerusalem.
The altercation broke out between a group of approximately six Jewish children 10-14 years of age and three Arab adults. The police detained two Jewish youths aged 13 and 14 and two Arab men aged 28 and 38, but chose to release the Arabs under minimal conditions, even though they are suspected of beating and injuring one of the children with a stick, and to leave the children in remand.
During the Tuesday, July 7 deliberation the police requested a three-day remand extension for the Jewish youths. HaLevi severely criticized the policy of the police and said that, “The worst thing about this is that the police, in advance, preferred to rely on the testimony of the Arabs, with no justification for doing so.”
Additionally HaLevi pleaded that the police violated the rights of the minors by interrogating them at 4:00 in the morning without any justification and in violation of the Juvenile Law.
The court ordered the release of the two minors to house arrest and also criticized the conduct of the police.
“The complainants aged 28 and 38 were released under minimal conditions even though they were accused of the same violations, and for the minors a remand extension was requested on a claim of disrupting the investigation,” wrote the judge in her decision and added that, “[The investigation] could be disrupted by the complainants and even so they were not kept in remand.”
The judge mentioned the testimonies of those involved with the altercation and the difference in age between them and fact that one of the Arabs received medical treatment at a hospital. “The difference in ages between the two groups is very significant. I do not reason that evidence of injury to one of the parties should lead to the conclusion that he is innocent of all suspicion.”
The judge also added criticism of the violation of the rights of the minors and wrote that, “The defense attorney is correct in his plea that the Juvenile Law was not upheld in full. The interrogation at 4:00 in the morning was not necessary and could have been done at 7:00, which would have allowed the minors to rest a bit.”
Honenu will consider filing a suit against the police for violation of the rights of minors.
“The detention of my clients, both minors lacking a criminal record, was unnecessary,” said Honenu attorney David HaLevi, who represented the youths. “The court criticized the conduct of the police and the violation of the rights of my clients, which included interrogating them at four in the morning after they had been awake all night in the police station. The court also criticized the discrimination by the police who interrogated and then unconditionally released the Arabs, one of whom is approximately 40 years of age, who were suspected of assaulting my clients, who are 13 and 14 years old.”