Ofer - Remand Extension, Minors

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Observers: 
Nitza Aminov (reporting)
Oct-12-2015
|
Morning

Translation: Marganit W.

 

There are no more children in the West Bank – they are all in jail

 

This is what I heard today from Atty. Iyad Misk from “Defense of Children – Palestine”.

 

Today and last Wednesday I saw Atty. Misk hurrying to the remand extension hall to represent underage detaineesinfo-icon that the prosecution wants to keep in detention.

I heard similar things from Atty. Nubani and Galid.

They are all desperate because the judges accede to the prosecution’s demand and extend the children’s detention.

 

There were very few families today. Whenever an attorney or an interpreter comes out, they call the family’s name but no one shows up. The situation in the territories makes it very difficult for the families to come to the hearings.

 

By contrast, there were several representatives of the European Union, Israeli activists and family members who came for the hearing of Khalida Jarrar, the member of Palestinian Legislative Council.

 

Judge: Deputy president Lieut. Colonel Zvi Heilbronn

Prosecutor: Lieut. Nathaniel Yacov Hai

Defense: Atty. Muhammad Hassan and Atty. Sahar Frances

Defendant: Khalida Jarrar – ID 946614138

 

In the previous hearing arrest warrants were issued for witnesses. They were even told they would be arrested the night before the hearing and brought to court. Today the prosecutor announced that none of those warrants was carried out. “I was informed by those in charge of arrests in the  [Occupied] Territories that because of the sensitive security situation, they could not carry out the arrests.”

[From the protocol – N.A.]

The prosecution asks to summon the same witnesses to the next sessions, as well as the policemen who took statements from various witnesses.

 

Atty. Hassan complains about the slow progress in this case. He wants the order of the witnesses changed. All along Atty. Hassan has asked to summon the Shabak [GSS] agents who had taken down the minutes, but the prosecution objects.

 

Clarification: detainees are first interrogated by the Shabak. The interrogator writes the minutes which are passed on to a policeman: this forms the basis for the “interrogation” of the suspect. The policeman takes the statement and the detainee signs it. The statement is then presented to the court.

This is why Atty. Hassan kept insisting that there is no point in bringing in the policemen who took the statement.

 

The prosecutor explained that it is not easy to summon Shabak agents at such short notice: they have missions abroad etc. Policemen are much easier to contact and summon to court.

The judge decided that police investigators would be summoned for the next hearing and ordered the prosecutor to try summoning a Shabak agent called Amnon.

 

It is becoming apparent that this trial is dragging on and on so that Jarrar’s time in detention will coincide with the penalty the prosecution means to request.

The next hearing is set for 18.10.15.

 

Ghassan, Khalida’s husband, told me that he had finally obtained permission to visit her in jail. It is a one-time permit.