Testimony - H.S.
Name: | H.S. |
Age: | 14 |
Date of incident: | 14 March 2013 |
Location: | Haris, West Bank |
Accusation: | Throwing stones |
On 14 March 2013, a 14-year-old boy from Haris was arrested by Israeli soldiers at noon and accused of throwing stones. He reports being ill-treated and not being informed of his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports spending 6 days in detention before being released on bail of NIS 1,000.
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The soldiers then tied my hands with a single plastic hand-tie and blindfolded me. My older brother was also detained by the soldiers. We were then placed in the back of military vehicles and driven off.
We were taken to a military base near the town of Qalqiliya, in the West Bank. On arrival I was placed in a room by himself and my feet were shackled.
At around 1:00 a.m. a soldier came and brought me some food. He took off the blindfold and cut the hand tie but kept my legs shackled. When I finished eating he re-blindfolded me and tied my hands again with one plastic tie but this time it was tighter. It cut into my wrists and was very painful. We were then driven to Ari’el settlement. On the way the soldiers swore at us.
On arrival at Ari’el I was fingerprinted and photographed. Within an hour we were driven to Huwwara interrogation centre, near the West Bank city of Nablus. We arrived at the centre at about 3:00 a.m. We were untied and placed in a cell together. There were two bunk beds in the room which had no windows.
During the night soldiers kept banging at the door to wake us up. Later that morning I was handcuffed and shackled and taken to Megiddo prison, inside Israel. On arrival at Megiddo I was strip searched and asked some questions about my health. I told the doctor my ankles and wrists hurt because of the tight ties, but he said never mind because this was irrelevant, he just wanted to know if I suffered from any illnesses. The check lasted about 15 minutes. After the medical questions they put the handcuffs and shackles on again and made me walk for a long distance. I couldn’t walk properly because of the shackles.
On Sunday morning, 17 March 2013, I was driven to Salem interrogation centre, near the West Bank town of Jenin, for interrogation. I was not given the opportunity to consult with a lawyer before being questioned and I don't recall being informed of any rights. The interrogator asked me 'why do you throw stones?’ When I told him I didn’t throw stones he started to shout at me. I was then taken back to a small cell and the air conditioner was turned on and the room was very cold, even though it was a cold day.
Later that day I was taken a short distance to Salem military court where I saw my lawyer for the first time. The proceedings were adjourned until Wednesday, 20 March 2013. I was then taken back to Megiddo prison, inside Israel.
On 20 March 2013, I was brought back to Salem military court and released on bail of NIS 1,000. I am due back in court on 30 July 2013. When we got home I was happy to see my uncles and grandparents waiting for me, but I cried when I saw my mother. I also missed my school exams.