Testimony: M.M.M.Y.
| Name: | M.M.M.Y. |
| Age: | 16 |
| Date of incident: | 28 October 2016 |
| Location: | Qalandia camp, West Bank |
| Accusation: | Throwing stones |
On 28 October 2016, a 16-year-old minor from Qalandia refugee camp was detained by Israeli soldiers at Qalandia checkpoint at 5:00 p.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being released on NIS 4,000 bail, 5 days after his arrest.
One day before I was arrested my aunt was stopped at Qalandia checkpoint on her way back home from work. An Israeli soldier checked her identity card and then took her aside and started to question her about me. She was held for about two hours before she was released.
The following day when my aunt was crossing Qalandia checkpoint on her way to work she was stopped again. The soldiers handcuffed her and then told her to contact my father and tell him to bring me over. They told her they were not going to release her before they got hold of me. She contacted my father and my father and I went to Qalandia as ordered. We got there at around 5:00 p.m. As soon as we arrived they released my aunt.
Then the soldiers checked my identity card; handcuffed me with my hands to the front, and shackled my legs. The handcuffs were painful. They left me with my father outside in the cold weather until around 8:00 p.m. At around 8:00 p.m. my father and I were taken to the back of a jeep and we sat on seats. The jeep drove for less than five minutes to Atarot police station, in East Jerusalem. We waited until around 10:30 p.m. before taking us both into the interrogation room.
The interrogator removed the handcuffs but kept my leg shackles on. He agreed to let my father attend the interrogation but told him not to say a word. The interrogator did not inform me of my right to silence or my right to consult with a lawyer and immediately started to question me about throwing stones at soldiers at the checkpoint. He showed me pictures of boys throwing stones and asked me to identify them.
When I denied the accusation the interrogator lost his temper and started to speak in a loud voice in an attempt to scare me but I was not afraid. I then told him I was at the checkpoint but I did not take part in throwing stones. He interrogated me for about 90 minutes and I continued to deny the accusation.
After about 90 minutes the interrogator printed out a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it but I refused because I did not understand what it said. Then he took my photo and fingerprints and then handcuffed me again. My father was driven back to the checkpoint.
At around 1:00 a.m. soldiers took me to the back of a jeep and made me sit on the floor. The jeep drove to Ofer prison, near Jerusaelm, where I was strip searched and taken to Section 13.
I remained in prison for three days. On the third day I was told I had a military court hearing. My parents were in court and a lawyer too and I was allowed to speak to them. The military judge told me I was accused of throwing stones but I denied the accusation. My lawyer asked the court to release me on bail and the judge agreed on condition that my parents pay NIS 4,000 bail.
After court I was taken back to Ofer prison where I collected my belongings and changed my clothes before being released. I was released on 1 November 2016, at around 5:00 p.m. My father was waiting for me at the gate and I went home with him. My next hearing is on 1 March 2017.
