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Home » Children »

Testimony: Q.M.K.A.

 

Name: Q.M.K.A.
Age: 14
Date: 19 January 2017
Location: Beit Ummar, West Bank
Accusation: Throwing stones

On 19 January 2017, a 14-year-old minor from Beit Ummar was arrested by Israeli soldiers from home at 2:30 a.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports ill treatment and being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being released on NIS 1,500 bail, 18 days after his arrest. 

I was arrested from home at 2:30 a.m. I was still awake when I suddenly heard loud banging at the front door and I heard voices saying: “this is the army, open up”. I woke my father up and he answered the door.
 
When my father opened the door Israeli soldiers stormed into our house and immediately asked for me. My father identified me and the soldiers told him they had come to arrest me. They did not give us any documents and did not tell us why they were arresting me or where they were taking me.
 
The soldiers allowed me to get dressed and to say goodbye to my family. I was then taken outside where they blindfolded me and tied my hands to the back with one plastic tie which was not tight. Then I was put in a bus where I sat on a seat. There were also other detainees on the bus. The bus drove for about 15 minutes to the police station in Etzion settlement.
 
On arrival at Etzion I was taken to a shipping container where I sat on a seat and I remained there until around 7:00 a.m. I was uncomfortable on the seat and I could not sleep. Then I was examined by a nurse who removed the blindfold and put it back again when he was done. Then I was taken for interrogation.
 
The interrogator took me into a dark room where he kept me standing and started to slap me on the face. He asked me why I threw stones and Molotov cocktails at soldiers. I was terrified and started to cry and told him I had thrown four stones at soldiers but I did not throw any Molotov cocktails. At this stage he did not inform me that I had any rights. Then he took me to a courtyard where I remained standing for a few minutes while the interrogator stood very close to me.
 
Then he started to ask me about other boys who throw stones at soldiers and those who take part in protests. I told him I did not know any of these boys. Then he took me back to the interrogation room where he removed the tie and the blindfold and gave me a document that said I had the right to remain silent and the right to consult with a lawyer and he asked me to sign it as acknowledgement that I had read it.
 
Then he accused me of throwing Molotov cocktail and stones at soldiers. I told him I had no idea how to make a Molotov cocktail and that I only threw stones at soldiers.  I confessed immediately because I was scared. I was interrogated for about two hours and most of the time the interrogator wanted to get information about other boys. He showed me pictures of some boys and asked me to confess against them. I told him I did not know any of the boys in the pictures.
 
I don’t recall whether he made me sign a statement or not, I just recall having signed the document about my rights. Then I was photographed and my fingerprints were taken. Then I waited for about 10 minutes in the courtyard before being strip-searched.
 
After I was searched I was shackled and handcuffed and put in the back of a police car where I sat on a seat. The car drove to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem, where I was strip searched again and taken to Section 13.
 
The following day I had a hearing in Ofer military court which my parents and my lawyer attended. I was allowed to speak to them. The hearing was adjourned. In all I had about seven military court hearings. In the end my lawyer was able to release me on bail. My parents had to pay NIS 1,500 to bail me out until the next hearing. I was released on 5 February 2017.
 
Since my release I was summoned to the military court once and the hearing was adjourned. My next hearing will be in July.