Last Yitzhar detainee released

Sunday, July 22, 2018, 16:35 On Sunday, July 22, the Petah Tikva Magistrate Court rejected the police demand to extend by five days the remand of a youth who had been detained the previous week in Yitzhar and ordered his release under restrictive conditions. The court ruled that the suspect will be released to several days of house arrest and then distanced from Yitzhar for 30 days.
In her decision Judge Shalhevet Kamir-Weiss leveled criticism at the police for having not yet checked the alibi of the suspect, who claimed from the time of his detention that he had not been involved with the incident and had only filmed it. Judge Kami-Weiss also stated that the police were expected to have watched the video clip which the suspect filmed and ruled that from watching footage of the incident reasonable cause for suspecting the suspect was weakened.
The police initially requested a delay in carrying out the decision in order to appeal to the district court, but later rescinded the request.
Honenu Attorney Nati Rom, who represented the detainee, stated that, “Five days ago the suspect was detained for throwing a rock in Yitzhar. From the time of his detention he claimed over and over again that he filmed the incident and was not part of it. His claim was not checked for several days. During the deliberation in court the fact arose that for four days the Israeli Police and all of the Central Unit of Yehuda and Shomron Police did not find the time to view the video clip which refutes the claims against him. This raises doubts about their intent to thoroughly investigate the truth.”