Policeman indicted for brutality

Wednesday, July 11, 2018, 13:35 Following a complaint filed by Honenu against a policeman from the Department of Nationalist Crime in the Yehuda and Shomron Police, Shlomi Nachman, for completely baseless physical and verbal brutality against a minor, the Police Investigation Unit has decided to file an indictment against him for unjustified assault.
The incident occurred approximately six months ago, when the minor and a friend were staying in a structure at Oz Tzion, a hilltop community near Givat Assaf in the Binyamin region. According to the indictment, several policemen arrived at the hilltop, among them the defendant, who told the minor and his friend that they were staying in a closed military zone, and read them the relevant order. A policeman at the site recorded the defendant reading the order. The minor and his friend also began to film what was happening.
As the order was read, the minor and his friend made disparaging comments to the policeman, including, “Tell that to your grandmother.” The policeman finished reading the order, and then, according to the indictment, “began to punch the complainant and his friend, swatted the cell phones they were holding, kneed the complainant in the groin, and pushed him backwards roughly.” The defendant continued to hit the minor in the head, to kick him, and to punch him in the stomach. The indictment quotes the minor as shouting at the policeman, “Why are you beating me? You are a policeman. I will sue you.”
At this point the defendant left the structure. However a few moments later he returned and resumed beating the complainant, in the presence of other policemen. The defendant stopped only after one of the other policemen separated him from the complainant.
In the video clip which the minor and his friend filmed the policeman is seen reading the order and telling the minors that, “Your filming me doesn’t impress me,” and also threatening them: “If you talk about my grandmother…” Afterwards the policeman became annoyed and threw the cellphone to the ground. At this point only the sound was recorded, and the policeman is clearly heard cursing the minor. Also the sounds of him hitting the minor and the minor asking him to stop are distinct.
Honenu Attorney Menashe Yado, who represented the complainant: “We are pleased that the law has been enforced against the policeman and hope that complaints that are not backed by video clips will also be upheld.”