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Home » Children »

Testimony: K.I.B.Z.

 

Name: K.I.B.Z.
Age: 14
Date: 13 January 2019
Location: Beit Ummar, West Bank
Accusation: Throwing stones

On 13 January 2019, a 14-year-old minor from Beit Ummar was arrested by Israeli soldiers from home at 1:30 a.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports ill treatment. He reports consulting with a lawyer prior to interrogation but not being informed of his right to silence by the interrogator. He was released on NIS 1,000 bail, 10 days after his arrest. 

I woke up at around 1:30 a.m. to the sound of loud banging at our front door. My parents went to open the door and a group of around 10 soldiers entered our home. More soldiers were waiting outside. We later found out that the soldiers had first raided my grandparent’s house looking for me.
 
The soldiers sat us all down in the living room and asked to see my older brother who was at the bakery where he works. My father phoned him and asked him to come home and he did. Then the soldiers told us they wanted to arrest me but not my brother. They did not say why but they gave my mother a document written in Hebrew and asked her to sign it and she did. Then a soldier took a picture of my mother holding the document. Then they asked me if I wanted to use the toilet or take any medicine. 
 
Then I was taken outside where the soldiers tied my hands to the front with three plastic ties: one on each wrist and another connecting the two. The ties were not painful. Then they walked me towards the settlement of Karmi Zur where they put me in a shipping container. They blindfolded me and made me sit on the floor until later that morning.
 
Later that morning I was put in a vehicle which drove to the police station in Etzion settlement. At Etzion I was examined by a doctor who removed the blindfold and then put it back on. Then I was taken to a corridor where I sat on a chair until around 12:30 p.m. I was given some water but no food and I was allowed to use the toilet. At around 12:30 p.m. I was taken for interrogation.
 
The interrogator removed the blindfold and the ties and told I was like his son and that I needed to cooperate with him and not lie. He was wearing civilian clothes. He phoned a lawyer and handed me the telephone to speak to him. The lawyer told me to remain silent and not say anything. He also told me not to confess against anyone. The interrogator was in the room while I spoke to the lawyer and the conversation lasted a few minutes. 
 
Without informing me of my right to silence the interrogator told me he was going to show me some photographs. He showed me six photographs of boys and wanted me to tell him who they were. I told him they were older than me and I did not know them. He showed me another photograph and told me if I did not confess against these boys he was going to lock me up in a small room and never let me out.
 
When I refused to give him names or to confess he took me to a small room where they store paint and some tools, turned the light off and left me alone. I think I was left there for about 10 minutes and then the interrogator took me back to the interrogation room. He punched me in the head and told me I had no brains. He accused me of throwing stones at soldiers and told me if I confessed against myself and the other boys he would send me home and if I did not he was going to send me to prison. I told him I was not going to confess against people I did not even know.
 
Then the interrogator took me to see another interrogator who did not inform me of my rights and told me to repeat what I had told the first interrogator as he typed on his computer. He then printed out a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it but I refused to sign a document I did not understand. The interrogations lasted for about four hours, from around 12:30 p.m. until around 4:30pm. The whole time I was without any food. 
 
After the interrogations my photograph and fingerprints were taken. I was then taken back to the interrogation room; I think this was one last attempt to extract a confession from me. The interrogator did not inform me of my rights and asked me to confess against the boys seen in the photographs. I did not confess. 
 
After the third interrogation I was taken to a room where I waited for about an hour and then I was taken to a prison cell at Etzion. I was searched with my clothes on. About an hour later they took me to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. At Ofer I was strip searched and taken to section 13.
 
The following day I was taken to Ofer military court. My parents were not informed of the hearing and so did not attend. The hearing was adjourned. 
 
I had three military court hearings. At the last hearing the military judge decided to release me on bail. He told me he wanted to release me so that I could go back to school. My parents had to pay NIS 1,000 and I was released on 22 January 2019. Until today, about six months later, I have not been asked to go back to the military court.