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Home » Children »

Testimony: O.M.A.H.

 

Name:  O.M.A.H.
Age:  15
Date:  19 August 2018
Location:  Tuqu', West Bank
Accusation:  Throwing stones
 
On 19 August 2018, a 15-year-old minor from Tuqu' was served with a written summons by Israeli soldiers at 2:00 a.m. at home and accused of throwing stones. He reports being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being sentenced to 2.5 months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. He also received a suspended sentence. 
 
I woke up at around 2:00 a.m. when I heard Israeli soldiers raiding our neighbour’s home. Shortly afterwards soldiers came to our house and gave me a summons to go to the police station in Etzion settlement at 7:30 a.m. to meet the intelligence officer. The commander scribbled the summons on a piece of paper.
 
Later that morning my father and I went to the police station as ordered. We were there at around 8:00 a.m. Someone took the summons, which was written in Arabic, and took me inside. My father was told I would be sent home soon so he should go home. 
 
Once my father was gone my hands were tied to the front with two plastic ties which were not painful. Inside the police station I was also blindfolded. At around 11:00 a.m. I was taken for interrogation.
 
The interrogator removed the blindfold but kept my hands tied. He had a camera and a voice recorder in the room. As soon as I entered he told me he had photographic evidence of me throwing stones. He also told me there were confessions against me but did not tell me by whom. I denied everything. Then he showed me photographs and I told him they were photo shopped. At that point he lost his temper and told me if I confessed he was going to release me. He also told me if I did not confess he was going to send me to prison.
 
The interrogation lasted for about two hours. The interrogator went in and out and left me by myself part of the time. He opened a can of Coca Cola and asked whether I wanted him to make me a cappuccino. Half way through the interrogation the interrogator called a lawyer and allowed me to speak to him. The lawyer advised me not to confess and told me I had the right to silence. The interrogator did not inform me of my right to silence.
 
After the interrogation I was strip searched and taken to a cell. They removed the ties and gave me some food. I remained in the cell for about six hours and I was able to sleep for about four hours. After about six hours I was taken to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, where I was strip searched again and taken to section 13. The following day I was taken to Ofer military court where I was denied bail. 
 
In all I had about seven military court hearings. At the last hearing I was sentenced in a plea bargain to 2.5 months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. I was also given a suspended sentence of 12 months suspended for five years. My lawyer advised me to plead guilty in a plea bargain and told me I would be released the following day. This was exactly what happened. I accepted the plea bargain on 25 October 2018, and I was released on 26 October 2018. 
 
My brother was waiting for me outside Ofer prison and I went home with him. We arrived home around 6:00 p.m. My parents visited me only once because it took a long time for the permit to be issued.