Testimony: A.M.M.K.
Name: | A.M.M.K. |
Age: | 14 |
Date: | 6 February 2018 |
Location: | Ein as Sultan, West Bank |
Accusation: | Throwing stones |
On 6 February 2018, a 14-year-old minor from Ein as Sultan was arrested by Israeli soldiers on the street at 6:00 p.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports ill treatment and being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being sentenced to 2 months in prison and fined NIS 3,500. He also received a suspended sentence.
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After I was caught a soldier beat me on the shoulder with the back of his gun and another soldier pushed me to the ground and kicked me. A soldier tied my hands to the front with two plastic ties on top of each other. The ties were very tight and painful and left a mark on my wrists. The soldiers also swore at me and called me a “son of a whore”.
Then I was taken to a troop carrier where I was blindfolded and made to sit on the metal floor. There were six boys on the floor on top of each other. I was very uncomfortable as I was tied and blindfolded. A female soldier swore at me and called me a “son of a whore” and kicked me on the side.
The troop carrier drove for about 10 minutes to a nearby military base. At the base I was left on the ground in an outdoor area in the cold weather for about an hour. Then I was taken to a room and the soldiers turned the air conditioner on cold. I was freezing. I was left there with other boys until the morning and I could not sleep at all. I was tied and blindfolded and very cold. I was not given any food or drink but I was allowed to use the toilet once.
In the morning a soldier walked into the room with a broom stick and beat me lightly on the shoulder as if he was just playing. I could smell he probably had a drink. At around 6:00 a.m. I was driven to the police station in the settlement of Ma’ale Adummim.
At Ma’ale Adummim I was left in a room until around 6:00 p.m. when I was taken for interrogation. During this time they removed the blindfold but I was kept tied. I was still without any food or drink.
The interrogator wore an Israeli police uniform and spoke broken Arabic. He removed the tie and turned a tape recorder on. He sat me down on a chair and asked me to tell him what had happened. He did not inform me of any rights.
The interrogator wanted me to give him the names of people throwing stones at the soldiers and told me if I gave him the names he would send me home. I told him I did not know any of them because they were all masked. He was very upset with my answer and banged the table very hard and threatened to use force against me. He told me he had no choice but to beat me. I was so scared that I started to cry. Then he called my mother and told her to calm me down. My mother told me not to worry and I would be home soon.
Then the interrogator printed out a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it. When I asked him what the document was he told me it was necessary for me to sign it because it helped them know “who was who”. I signed the document in Hebrew.
Then I was taken to another room where I was handcuffed. I remained by myself for about 30 minutes. Then I was taken in a vehicle to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. I arrived at Ofer at around 10:00 p.m. I was searched in my underwear and then taken to Section 13 where I ate and tried to sleep but I could not. Everything was strange and I missed home.
In the morning I was taken to Ofer military court. My parents were in court. I asked my mother when I was going home but the guard told me I was not allowed to speak to my mother. I started to cry and my mother cried too. The hearing was adjourned and I was taken back to prison.
A few days later I was taken back to Ma’ale Adummim for a second interrogation. I was interrogated by the same interrogator. He did not inform me of my rights but he turned a tape recorder on. He told me he knew I did not throw stones but he wanted me to tell him who was throwing stones at settler cars on Route 90. I told him I did not know. Then he wanted to know what I was doing in the area and I told him I was with my uncle who went to get his tools and I wanted to help him.
The interrogator was calm throughout the interrogation and in the end he asked me to sign documents in Hebrew and I did. I asked him what the document said and he told me it was identical to what I had told him. The whole thing lasted for about 10 minutes. In the end he called a lawyer and allowed me to speak to him. The lawyer told me not to confess to anything I did not do and not to say anything I was not sure of.
Then they took my photograph and fingerprints and took me to a room where I waited for about two hours. Then I was taken back to Ofer prison.
In all I had four military court hearings. At the last hearing I was presented with a charge sheet in which I was accused of throwing stones at settler cars. The charge sheet was based on testimonies given by soldiers. My lawyer and the prosecutor agreed on a plea bargain in which I was sentenced to two months in prison and fine NIS 3,500. In addition I was given a further six months in prison suspended for three years.
I spent the entire sentence at Ofer where I was bored most of the time. I played some table tennis and studied mathematics and Arabic. I also did some drawing. My parents did not visit me in prison because they were not issued a permit in time.
I was released on 22 March 2018 and went home with my father and uncle. I arrived home at around 4:00 p.m. My mother was in tears when she saw me and I could not believe I was home. My mother prepared a nice meal but I could not eat; I was too excited. I am in ninth grade and I want to go back to school as soon as possible. Whenever I see soldiers on the street I run home; I don’t want any more trouble with them.