Testimony: B.R.M.M.
Name: | B.R.M.M. |
Age: | 15 |
Date: | 11 August 2017 |
Location: | Beit Ummar, West Bank |
Accusation: | Burning tyres |
On 11 August 2017, a 15-year-old minor from Beit Ummar was detained by Israeli soldiers at 4:30 p.m. on land belonging to the village close to a settlement and accused of buring tyres. He reports being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being released without charge 10 hours after he was detained.
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The soldiers started to question me in Hebrew and some Arabic but I did not understand what they were saying. The soldiers then checked my hands and took my mobile phone. Then they led me on foot towards the settlement.
At the gate to the settlement the soldiers tied my hands to the front with one plastic tie. The tie was tight and painful. They also blindfolded me. Then they took me to the back of a jeep where I sat on a seat. They made one of my friends sit on my lap. We remained inside the jeep for about 30 minutes. A soldier asked me whether everything was ok and I told him everything was fine.
After about 30 minutes the jeep then drove towards a nearby military base. We remained inside the jeep once we arrived at the base. About 15 minutes later the jeep drove to the police station in Etzion settlement.
At Etzion I was taken to a courtyard where I sat on the ground. A soldier asked me what I was doing near the settlement (Karmi Zur) and whether we had intended to set fire to tyres. I told him we were not doing anything wrong. Then he told me they were waiting for the interrogator to arrive in order to question us. I was not informed of any rights.
I was kept at Etzion for about two hours. During this time I asked to drink and to use the toilet and the soldiers allowed me to pee in the courtyard while tied and blindfolded.
After about two hours some soldiers took me to a jeep and I sat on a seat. The jeep drove for about 30 minutes and then stopped at a hilly area where I was taken out of the jeep and the soldiers made me sit on some rocks for about 10 minutes. Then I was put in a shipping container which had one metal bed. A soldier was there to guard me and my friend. Every now and then a soldier walked in and verbally abused me. He told me I was a "fucker son of a whore".
By this time the blindfold was causing me pain. I asked them to remove it to allow me to use the toilet but they refused. I asked for water and they brought me some. Then the soldier fell asleep and I was able to sleep too.
Later another soldier threatened to lock me up in prison if I did not tell him what I was doing in the area near the settlement. I told him I was not doing anything wrong. Then I was taken back to a jeep which drove to the entrance my village. The soldiers removed the tie and the blindfold and released me. It was around 3:00 a.m.