Testimony: A.J.S.
Name: | A.J.S. |
Age: | 17 |
Date of incident: | 23 March 2015 |
Location: | Al 'Arrub, West Bank |
Accusation: | Throwing stones/Molotovs |
On 23 March 2015, a 17-year-old minor from Al 'Arrub refugee camp was detained by Israeli soldiers at 11.30 p.m. from home. He reports ill treatment and being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being released without charge over 17 hours after his arrest.
I was arrested from home at around 11.30 p.m. My father woke me up and told me there were Israeli soldiers in our house. I got up and went to where the soldiers were. One of the soldiers asked me for my identity card. When the commander examined it he told me I was under arrest. He told me to get dressed.
The soldiers immediately took me outside our house and tied my hands to the front with one plastic tie. The tie was very painful. They also blindfolded me and walked me towards the military watchtower on the main road where a military jeep was waiting.
I was put in the back of the jeep and made to sit on the floor. The jeep drove for about 15 minutes and then stopped in the settlement of Karmi Zur. I remained in the jeep. A few minutes later the jeep drove back towards Al 'Arrub. The soldiers arrested another boy from the camp and put him inside the jeep with me. As soon as the other boy entered the soldiers beat me and the other boy all over. They swore at me and called me "a fucker son of a whore".
The jeep drove towards the settlement of Karmi Zur again. I remained inside the jeep. A soldier asked me why I throw stones at soldiers. I told him I didn’t throw stones at anyone. The jeep remained in Karmi Zur for about 15 minutes and then drove towards the police station in Etzion settlement. At Etzion I was put in a small room with electric equipment and batteries. I sat on a seat and a soldier was guarding me. I remained in the room for about three hours. During this time a soldier then took me to see a doctor. The doctor removed the blindfold and examined me and gave me a form to fill out. I was taken back to the electrical room where a soldier made me sit on a chair facing the wall. I remained in that position for about three hours. An interrogator then came for me.
I was in the room with the interrogator by myself. The interrogator wore civilian clothes and told me his name was "Mosheh". I was still tied. The interrogator did not inform me of my right to silence or of my right to consult with a lawyer. He accused me of throwing stones and Molotov cocktail at soldiers. I denied the accusation. The interrogator became angry and tightened the hand tie. He blindfolded me and made me stand against the wall for about 30 minutes. Then he started to interrogate me again while I was still standing. He kicked me and told me I had to confess. I told him there was nothing for me to confess to. The interrogation lasted for about one-and-a-half hours. He then took me out of the room and made me sit outside on a chair for about 10 minutes. Then another interrogator took me for a second round of interrogation.
The second interrogator did not inform me of my right to silence or of my right to consult with a lawyer. He accused me of the same accusations and showed me some pictures of young men throwing stones. He told me I was among them. I told him this was not true and that the pictures were not of me. He called two policemen into the room who compared me with the young men in the pictures. The policemen told the interrogator they were not pictures of me.
The interrogator then took me to a courtyard with lots of soldiers who started to beat me and to swear at me. They called me "a gay son of a bitch". They also spat at me and threw some snacks they were eating at me.
Then the interrogator took me back for interrogation. He repeated the same accusations and I continued to deny them. The interrogator took me out of the room and back in for more interrogations about three times. In the end, at around 5.00 p.m. he told me they had decided to release me. I went home by myself. I walked for about 30 minutes.