Honenu Atty. Shimshilashvili; Photo credit: Honenu
Thursday, September 26, 2024, 16:01 Recently, Honenu sued a police officer from the Merchav David (Old City) Police Station on behalf of a right-wing activist and social media influencer who lives in the Old City of Jerusalem. The officer concerned had forcibly thrown the activist out of the Old City, claiming that there was a court order preventing him from entering there, although in fact no such order existed. At the beginning of this week, other officers from that station detained the activist and unjustifiably interrogated him for hours on suspicion that he had illegally recorded the conversations of officers at the station. During the interrogation, the officers confiscated the cell phone on which the activist had saved a large amount of investigative material as evidence in the suit filed against the above-mentioned officer. The officers also told the activist that he was banned from the Old City, even though there was no such order. After the interrogation, the officers refused to return the activist’s cell phone to him, beat him, and threatened to shock him with a taser.
The activist described his experience: “I was being interviewed by a foreign media channel in the Old City of Jerusalem when suddenly, out of nowhere, police officers arrived and detained me for no reason. I demanded to know why, and they told me that I had recorded officers without their knowledge. I asserted that that didn’t happen. In the interrogation room, they confiscated my cell phone and informed me that I had been administratively banned from all of the Old City for half a year, and in one week, I have to report to the police station to take the order. I insisted that the interrogation wasn’t legal, and until they return my phone, I wouldn’t leave the station. They informed me that if I didn’t leave, they would throw me out of the station. When I didn’t leave, they jumped on me and viciously beat me. The backstory to all this is the suit I filed against the station officer. That trial is scheduled to begin next week. Apparently, they found an opportunity to harass me and confiscate my phone, where I kept the evidence for use in the trial.”
Honenu Attorney Daniel Shimshilashvili, who is representing the activist, issued a statement: “The Israel Police must be reminded that their name describes their purpose: The police are supposed to work for Israel, their job is to serve Israeli citizens, and they should not take part in acts of revenge, settle scores, or coerce minors by depriving them of their basic rights, which has unfortunately become the norm when the person in question is not to their liking. This situation must change. We will act with all the tools at our disposal until law enforcement agents understand that they are not above the law.”