For a partial list of cases in which Honenu has represented Neriya Zarog, please see here.
Tuesday, February 1, 2022, 11:32 On behalf of right-wing activist Neriya Zarog, Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado filed a statement of claim with the Jerusalem Magistrates Court against the Israel Police and the Central Unit of Yehuda and Shomron Police. Zarog claims that the police have committed injustices against him, falsely detained him, and been negligent in their treatment of him. In the statement of claim, summarized below, Yado described how the police have harassed Zarog.
In one instance, policemen from the Department of Jewish Nationalistic Crime in the Yehuda and Shomron Police summoned Zarog for interrogation, then several hours later, falsely detained him, without telling him the reason for the detention. The police entered his private domain without authority, although they could have waited until he came in for interrogation the following day or hand delivered him a summons to come to the station, and verified that the plaintiff was summoned, had received the summons, and had reported for interrogation.
Additionally, the statement of claim cites the violation of his freedom. Beyond the long string of laws that the police violated, in the entirety of their conduct there is a serious violation of the rights to freedom and dignity, which sent the plaintiff a message of “We are policemen; we are strong and powerful. And you will follow our orders, or else you will be hurt. Legal or not, you will be hurt.” And indeed, the policemen harmed the plaintiff, illegally. Those are the grounds for the suit.
Zarog and his attorney stated that after the interrogation the reason for the detention turned out to be difficult to understand and raised questions. When he arrived for interrogation, Zarog was asked about an incident which had occurred over a month previously. Why and for what was the great urgency, especially in light of the fact that Zarog was unconditionally released after the interrogation? This only illustrates the low level of suspicion and the low frequency with which interrogations are conducted, and indicates that the aggressiveness was for its own sake, and not for any justifiable police purpose.
Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado: “The control that the government and the police have over Israeli citizens is increasing at the expense of a deepening violation of individual rights, from High Court of Justice rulings that allow phone tapping without a warrant, through legislation in the Knesset that allows a search of a private home without a warrant, to questionable police operations on the ground. Today we are fighting for a right-wing activist whom the police are treating as a sack of police equipment and not a free citizen. Tomorrow it could be anyone.”
Zarog, a married father of three children and a resident of Geulat Tzion in the Binyamin region, is also waging a legal battle against the distancing order served to him in December 2021. Honenu Attorney Adi Keidar, who is representing Zarog: “This is a draconian order which severely violates basic human rights. Either the father of the family will be forced to leave his home, or the entire family will be forced to leave their home with him. The order is also anti-democratic, being as the recipient does not have the option of proving his innocence or appearing before a judge. We will file an appeal against the order. I hope that the judicial system will listen to the voice of reason and cancel the order.”