Testimony: Q.K.T.
Name: | Q.K.T. |
Age: | 16 |
Date of incident: |
4 February 2015 |
Location: | Dura, West Bank |
Accusation: | Throwing stones |
On 4 February 2015, a 16-year-old minor from Dura was arrested by Israeli soldiers from home at 2.30 a.m. He reports being informed of his right to silence but not consulting with a lawyer prior to interrogation. He reports being released without charge 8 days after his arrest.
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A soldier told me to get dressed and then I was taken outside and led towards the centre of town. When we got there my hands were tied to the front with three plastic ties: one on each wrist and one connecting the two. The ties were not painful. I was also blindfolded and put in the back of a jeep where I sat on a seat. The jeep drove towards the nearby settlement of Otni’el. I was immediately taken to see a doctor who examined me and gave me a questionnaire to fill out. I was then taken back to the jeep.
The jeep drove for about 30 minutes and then stopped. I was taken to a caravan. I asked the soldiers where I was and they told me I was at the police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba. I remained in the caravan, together with a soldier who was guarding me, until around 7.00 a.m. An interrogator then took me for questioning.
The interrogator wore civilian clothes. He sat me down on a chair and told me I had the right to remain silent and the right to see a lawyer. He then started to question me before I had spoken to a lawyer. He accused me of throwing stones at soldiers. He had a tape recorder in front of him. I denied the accusation. The first round of interrogation lasted for about an hour. I was then taken back to the caravan where I remained for about an hour. The interrogator then took me back to the interrogation room.
The interrogator repeated the same accusation. I denied the accusation once again. The second round lasted for about an hour. The interrogator shouted at me to force me to confess. I continued to deny the accusation. He then took me back to the caravan where I remained until 5.00 p.m. During this time I wasn’t given any food but I was allowed to use the bathroom. At around 5.00 p.m. I was taken for third round of interrogation.
The third round lasted for about 30 minutes. I continued to deny the accusation. At the end the interrogator asked me for my father’s phone number and called him. My mother answered the phone. The interrogator told my mother I was being questioned and asked her to appoint a lawyer for me. He also gave her his phone number and asked her to ask the lawyer to contact him. The interrogator allowed me to speak to the lawyer but all this was after the interrogation was over. The interrogator printed out a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it. I refused to sign. He then photographed me and took me back to the caravan.
At around 7.00 p.m. my legs were shackled and I was handcuffed and put in a troop carrier. We drove for about 30 minutes to the police station inside the settlement of Etzion. At Etzion I was strip searched. I was then taken to a room where I was given some food. I spent one night at Etzion. The following morning I was shackled and handcuffed again and driven to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. At Ofer I was strip searched again. I was then given prison clothes and taken to Section 13.
At around 10.00 a.m. I was taken to Ofer military court. A lawyer was there but my parents did not attend because they were not notified. The court hearing was adjourned until Tuesday, 10 February 2015.
On 10 February 2015, my parents attended the hearing and the session was adjourned to Thursday, 12 February 2015. The military court decided to release me on Thursday if there was no new evidence against me. On Thursday, 12 February 2015, I was taken back to the military court and no new evidence was presented. I was then released and went home with my parents.