Ofer - Sentence

Share:
Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Email
Observers: 
Norah Orlow and Hagit Shlonsky (reporting)
Nov-17-2008
|
Morning

Translator: Bracha Ben-Avraham

Courtroom 2


Judge: Major Menachem Lieberman

The session was an arraignment hearing in the trial of 7 defendants charged with membership and activities in an illegal organization. 

All seven defendants are from Beit Ummar.

(The previous hearings took place on 4.9.08; 8.9.08; and 23.9.08 - see report from Ofer 23.9).  

Two of the defendants were brought into the courtroom from the detention facility in Ofer:
 

Ali Shehadeh, Abed Alfatah Jaffer Aadi (4195/08)

and Mohammad Ahmed Ismail Aadi (4182/08)

5 of the defendants were set free on bail and are present in the courtroom:

Raed Ahmed Kassem Abu Dia (4193/08)

Anis Mussah Hussein Abu Maria (4194/08)

Hamza Zalah Hassni Hassani Turk (4191/08)

Maher Ibrahim Odeh Sabarna (4336/08)

Ibrahim Hassan Mansur Sabarna (4185/08)

Defense Attorney: Ahlam Hadad

Relatives of the defendants are present in the courtroom.

The defense attorney presented preliminary arguments in writing.  

The defendants are all familiar with the indictment, and all deny the allegations. 

The prosecution has 5 witnesses.

The defense attorney requests to set dates [for future hearings] soon, because two of the defendants are already detained.  However, the judge's schedule does not allow an evidentiary hearing for the two defendants in the near future. 

It was therefore decided to transfer the case to another judge.  The date will be set after it is decided which judge will continue the trial. 

We observed hearings regarding other defendants, and choose to report about two of them:


Fadi Muhammad Ali Salah (3388/08), a 21-year-old young man from Bethlehem.
He is accused of attempt to kill. 

The defense attorney (Firas) announced that his client now admits to some of the charges [in the indictment]. 

His trial will take place on 26.1.09 .Witnesses of the prosecution will also be heard then.

 

Yusef Nimer Abed Alrazak Rabaiyeh (3877/08) - ID number 977507136

is accused of a series of hostile terrorist activities and of membership and activities in the Islamic Jihad. 

Details regarding his actions are amazing: he has been a member of the Islamic Jihad since 1996.  In 2002 he met with ....., drove .....in his car,

and in 2005 helped open an educational center in Bethlehem.  He rented a house and purchased computers and other such equipment for this purpose. 

He admitted to this. 

His attorney, Haled Alaraj, said that the defendant's actions did not cause any harm, and that the defendant said that he respects the court. 

The judge asked that someone explain to the defendant what a plea bargain is.  When this was explained to him, the judge sentenced him according to a "closed" arrangement between the two sides: 23 months in jail, 23 months probation for 3 years, and a fine of 4,000 Shekels.