Testimony: M.A.M.
Name: | M.A.M. |
Age: | 17 |
Date of incident: | 8 August 2014 |
Location: | Wadi Fukin, West Bank |
Accusation: | Throwing stones |
On 8 August 2014, a 17-year-old minor from Wadi Fukin was arrested by Israeli soldiers from home at 3:00 a.m. He reports ill treatment. He reports being informed of his right to silence but not consulting with a lawyer prior to interrogation. He reports being released without charge at 9:00 p.m. on 10 August 2014.
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A soldier gave my father a document with details about my arrest and told him they were going to take me to Etzion and Kiryat Arba claiming the reason was because I was a terrorist. My father told the soldiers there was no need to come in the middle of the night and promised to bring me to the police station in the morning. The soldier told my father they had come to arrest me and that was what was going to happen.
A soldier then told me to get dressed and then I was dragged outside by the arm. I was immediately surrounded by about 10 soldiers. I was scared. I was taken to the centre of the village where military jeeps were waiting. A soldier asked me to stand by the jeep. A female soldier slapped me and told me to turn my face to the jeep. A soldier tied my hands to the back with one plastic tie. The tie was painful. I was also blindfolded and put in the back of a jeep and sat on a seat.
The jeep drove for about 10 minutes and then stopped. I think we were in a military compound in the settlement of Betar Illit. I was taken to see a doctor who checked my pulse and blood pressure. He also gave me a questionnaire with medical questions to answer. My blindfold and hand tie were removed during the examination and put back on again at the end. I was then taken to a caravan where other detainees were held. They made me sit on the floor and I was kept there until 7:00 a.m.
At 7:00 a.m. I was taken to a military jeep and made to sit on the metal floor. The jeep drove for about two hours and stopped many times on the way, I don’t know why. At the final stop I was taken out of the jeep and told I was at the police station in the settlement of Kiryat Arba. I was taken to a caravan where I was held with other detainees. There were lots of soldiers around who were shouting and swearing at us. I was kept in the caravan for about an hour. I was allowed to use the toilet in the caravan and to drink water. At one point a female soldier entered the caravan. She tightened the hand tie and slapped me on my neck. A soldier then took me to the interrogation room.
The interrogator wore civilian clothes. A soldier removed the hand tie and the blindfold and made me sit on a chair. Before the interrogation started the interrogator told me I had the right to remain silent and the right to consult with a lawyer. He also asked me for my father’s telephone number. The interrogator then started to question me although I did not consult with a lawyer.
The interrogator accused me of throwing stones at soldiers and settlers. I told him this was not true. The interrogator then took his gun out and placed it on the desk in front of him. I think he wanted to scare me. He shouted at me and told me to tell the truth. I told him I did not throw stones at all. The interrogator then changed the tone of his voice and started to talk to me gently. The interrogation lasted for about half-an-hour.
At the end of the interrogation he printed out a document in Hebrew and asked me to sign it. I signed it although I didn’t understand what it said. I was then photographed and fingerprinted. A soldier then tied my hands to the front with plastic tie and I was blindfolded.
I was taken outside and put in a military jeep which drove for about 30 minutes. I was told I was at the police station in the settlement of Etzion. A female soldier gave me a cake to eat. I was taken out of the jeep and the tie and the blindfold were removed. I was taken to a cell where I spent the night with another boy from my village.
The following day a soldier brought us breakfast. I was then handcuffed to the front with metal handcuffs and my legs were also shackled. I was then transferred to Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. The trip took about an hour. At Ofer I was strip searched. A soldier asked me to crouch up and down while naked. I was then taken to Section 13 where there were other youth. I spent one night at Ofer.
The following day, at around 4:00 p.m., a soldier told me I was going to be released. I was released at around 9:00 p.m. on 10 August 2014. I took a taxi to Bethlehem where my parents met me and took me home to our village. I did not appear in the military court.