Demonstration of torture methods; Photo credit: Otzma Yehudit
Tuesday, August 17, 2021, 18:07 On Monday, August 16, Supreme Court Justice George Karra ordered the Central District Attorney’s office to present him with the confidential material in the Kfar Duma case. The material includes that which was presented to the Central District Court in Lod during the trial and also confidential GSS regulations.
Justice Karra made the decision after Amiram Ben Uliel’s attorneys, Attorney Avigdor Feldman and Attorney Yehoshua Reznik, filed a request with the court to lift the immunity that was placed on the meeting between senior members of the Central District Attorney’s office at which it was decided to apply extreme duress – torture – during interrogations, and to reveal the internal regulations of the GSS which allow interrogation under extreme duress. The attorneys also requested that the minutes and the material documenting the interrogations in real time, in stages, be revealed. The request was filed in the framework of the appeal to the Supreme Court against the Central District Court decision convicting Ben Uliel of murder.
Justice Karra ruled that the confidential material would be presented before him during a hearing to take place in approximately one week’s time: “In continuation of the hearing which took place on 27.6.21, it was decided that an additional hearing would take place on 22.8.21 at 9:00, during which the attorneys of the respondent are requested to present for the consideration of solely the court the following material: 1. The confidential material that was presented to the court at the hearings on the request for the extension of preventing a meeting between the petitioner and an attorney. 2. The GSS regulations that were protected under immunity.”
Attorneys Avigdor Feldman and Yehoshua Reznik: “We express satisfaction with the decision and hope that revealing the material, which the Central District Attorney’s office considers critical for the defense, will lead to justice for the petitioner.”
In 2018, the Central District Court in Lod ruled that Ben Uliel was tortured during interrogation by the GSS, and invalidated some of his confessions that were extracted under torture. Nevertheless, the court convicted him of murder. Currently, an appeal is being judged by the Supreme Court. Ben Uliel’s attorneys have requested that the Supreme Court exonerate him from all charges and order his immediate release.
Since the July 2015 arson attack on the Dawabshe family’s house in Kfar Duma, Honenu has assisted many Jews accused of involvement with the crime. For a selection of posts describing Honenu Attorneys’ representation of defendants and GSS interrogees, see here. To familiarize our readers with the case, Honenu has gathered – see here – various articles and short videos on the subject.