Police detain detainee released by court

Sunday, July 15, 19:36 After nine months of house arrest the court lifted the restrictions placed on Y. Several hours later the police detained him on a charge of violating house arrest.
Approximately nine months ago Y. and two of his friends, all of them minors, were detained on suspicion of organizing retaliatory action against Arabs. Due to the particular attention given by the Attorney General’s office to what are known are “price tag” incidents severe charge sheets were issued against the three and a demand was made to keep them in remand until the end of proceedings. Each of the three was in remand for between one and three weeks, after which time the court ordered them released to house arrest under restricting conditions. Due to the difficulty of Y. remaining in house arrest at his home the location of his house arrest was transferred to his yeshiva.
Approximately one week ago Y.’s nine month term of house arrest, the maximum allowed by law, came to an end. Today a deliberation took place behind closed doors at the Jerusalem Juvenile Magistrate Court at the request of the Attorney General’s office to extend his house arrest. The Attorney General’s office claimed that because of the danger presented by Y. and in order to ensure his arrival to court deliberations in the case against him, he should remain under house arrest with the severe restrictions placed on him.
Honenu attorney Itzik Bam, who is representing Y., expressed his surprise to the court that the Attorney General’s office is taking such a strong stand on anything and everything related to “price tag” incidents. According to Bam the Attorney General’s office attempted to find a legal precedent for extending the house arrest of a minor past the nine months limited by law and did not find one. Even in cases of breaking in and entering, robbery and sexual offenses, the police have not demanded an extension of house arrest past nine months, including cases in which the defendants have had a criminal record. The unprofessional approach of the Attorney General’s office in this instance borders on illegal, concluded Bam.
In light of the above and in light of the fact that Y. has no criminal record, Bam requested that the court settle for bail guaranteed by a third party to ensure that Y. arrives at court deliberations in his case.
Judge Ehrenberg rejected the Attorney General’s office’s request stating that their claim did not have a sufficient basis. According the the judge the defendant, a 17 year old with no criminal background, had appeared at all deliberations on his case and had not violated any of the conditions of his house arrest throughout the entire nine months of his term. Accordingly Judge Ehrenberg accepted the defense’s plea and released Y. with no conditions other than bail.
Several hours after the Attorney General’s request was rejected Y. visited the Old City of Jerusalem. In the area of the Jaffa Gate policemen stopped Y. and demanded that he present his ID card. He acquiesced and in response the police informed him that he was detained due to violation of the conditions of his house arrest. Y.’s insistence that his house arrest had terminated approximately one week ago and that today the judge ruled that he was completely released were not effective and he was detained for close to one hour, after which time he was freed to go on his way.
Y. announced that he intends to file a complaint on the false detention.
Honenu attorney Itzik Bam, who represented Y., reported in response that “In their persecution of hilltop youth the police ignore the explicit decisions of the court, which is unfortunate.”