Testimony: S.S.I.R.
| Name: | S.S.I.R. |
| Age: | 15 |
| Date: | 3 January 2017 |
| Location: | Azzun, West Bank |
| Accusation: | Throwing stones |
On 3 January 2017, a 15-year-old minor from Azzun was arrested by Israeli soldiers during clashes at 5:00 p.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports ill treatment and being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being sentenced to 11 months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. He also received a suspended sentence.
There were clashes in town with Israeli soldiers at around 5:00 p.m. I was in the area and about 10 soldiers attacked me. They beat and kicked me all over my body and swore at me calling me "a son of a whore”. They then dragged me towards the gate at the entrance to the town.
A short time later I was put in the back of a military jeep where I sat on the metal floor. The jeep took me to a nearby settlement. On the way I was tied with my hands behind my back with one plastic tie which was painful. I was also blindfolded.
At the settlement I was taken to a room where I sat on a chair and waited from around 6:00 p.m. until noon the following day. I was without food or drink and I was not allowed to use the toilet. Then I was taken for interrogation.
The interrogator was in Israeli police uniform. He had a tape recorder and a camera in the room. He removed the tie and blindfold. He did not inform me that I had any rights and immediately started to question me.
He asked me why I threw stones at soldiers. I did not say anything and then I confessed to throwing one stone which missed. The interrogation lasted about 30 minutes and the interrogator was calm. He showed me a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it and I did.
Then I was taken to the nearby military base at Zufin where I was examined by a doctor. Then I was taken to Huwwara military base where I was strip searched. I was then put in a cell where I spent one-and-a-half days.
After one-and-a-half days I was taken to Megiddo prison, inside Israel. I was strip searched again and taken to the juvenile section. I had my first meal in two days in prison.
The following day I was taken to Salem military court but the hearing was adjourned. No body from my family was there because they were not informed about the hearing.
In all I had about 12 military court hearings. At the last hearing I was sentenced in a plea bargain to 11 months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. I was also given another three-month sentence suspended for five years. I accepted the plea bargain because my father was tired of going back and forth to court, missing work days and incurring expenses.
My parents visited me seven times in prison. I was released on 2 November 2017, after they reduced my term by 21 days for good conduct. I was released at Salem checkpoint and I went home with my father. I arrived home at around 9:00 p.m.
