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Home » Children »

Testimony: M.J.

Name: M.J.
Age: 17 years
Date of incident: 10 June 2013
Location: Al 'Arrub, West Bank
Accusation: Throwing stones
                        
On 10 June 2013, a 17-year-old minor was detained in the street by an Israeli soldier at 2:30 p.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports being denied his basic rights under Israeli military law. He reports spending 19 days in prison after his parents were unable to pay a fine of NIS 2,500.
 
I was walking home with my cousin at around 2:30 p.m. Suddenly an Israeli soldier stopped me and pushed me up against a wall. My cousin ran away. The soldier tied my hands to the back with one plastic tie which was painful and led me to a military jeep that was waiting nearby. He pushed me into the jeep. I wasn’t blindfolded but the soldier kept pushing my head down.
 
The jeep drove for about 20 minutes before it arrived at Etzion settlement. On arrival at Etzion I was made to sit on the ground for about three hours before I was taken for interrogation.
 
The interrogator had a tape recorder and asked me questions through an interpreter. He didn’t tell me about my right to silence and didn’t ask me if I wanted to speak to a lawyer. The interrogator told me that two soldiers had testified that I was throwing stones. He didn’t give me any dates. He claimed I was wearing a white T-shirt. I denied the accusation. Half way through the interrogation he called a lawyer and gave him my name. He kept putting pressure on me, repeating the accusation and telling me to confess. In the end he put the recorder close to my face and told me to confess. I insisted that I didn’t throw stones and that the two soldiers were not telling the truth. The interrogator did not beat me.
 
At the end of the interrogation I was shown a document written in Hebrew and asked to sign it but I refused. The interrogation lasted about 10 – 15 minutes. After the interrogation my fingerprints were taken I was put in a cell for the night. I wasn’t given any food or drink in Etzion.
 
The following day I was transferred to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. The day after that I was taken to Ofer military court. In court I saw a lawyer for the first time. The lawyer told me they were going to give me a fine of NIS 2,500 and release me. My family couldn’t pay the fine so I spent 19 days in Ofer prison. This sentence was based on the testimony of the two soldiers.
 
I was released on 29 June 2013. My parents were not waiting for me outside the prison because they were not informed of the day of my release. I did not study in prison.