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Home » Children »

Testimony: M.A.N.A.

 

Name: M.A.N.A.
Age: 16
Date: 25 February 2018
Location: Qalqiliya, West Bank
Accusation: Throwing stones

On 25 February 2018, a 16-year-old minor from Qalqiliya was arrested by Israeli soldiers from home at 2:00 a.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports being informed of his right to silence but not consulting with a lawyer prior to interrogation. He reports being sentenced to 6 months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. He also reveived a suspended sentence.

My aunt woke me up at around 2:00 a.m. and told me Israeli soldiers were in our living room after they had blown off our front door with an explosive device. I got up and saw about 10 soldiers in our home; one of them was masked. 
 
I heard a soldier ask my father about his children after checking his identity card. Then the commander called my name and told me to put my shoes on and to get ready because I was under arrest. Then the soldiers went to my bedroom and looked in the wardrobe for a particular shirt but they did not find it. The commander gave my father a document saying he had to go to Ariel police station at noon. 
 
A soldier held my hand and walked me towards the door where he handcuffed me to the front with metal handcuffs. The handcuffs were not painful. Then he blindfolded me. I was then led to a troop carrier where I sat on a seat but when all the soldiers entered the carrier they made me sit on the metal floor. I waited in the troop carrier while they arrested my cousin who lives upstairs. Then the troop carrier drove to Zufin military base.
 
At the base I was examined by a doctor who removed the handcuffs and the blindfold and put them back on when he was done. An hour and a half later I was taken to the police station in Ariel settlement where I waited in a room until around 11:30 a.m. During this time a soldier removed the blindfold but tightened the handcuffs until I was in pain. He also shackled my ankles. I was allowed to use the toilet. At around 11:30 a.m. I was taken for interrogation.
 
The interrogator wore civilian clothes and had a voice recorder and a camera in the room. He removed the handcuffs and asked me what I was doing in his office. I told him I had no idea. Then he told me I could remain silent and I had the right to consult with a lawyer. Then he showed me footage of a demonstration and accused me of throwing stones. In the beginning I denied the accusation but when the interrogator accused me of lying and started to shout and bang the table I was scared and confessed to throwing stones during a demonstration in September of 2017. I felt I had no choice but to confess.
 
After I had confessed the interrogator asked me whether I wanted to see a lawyer. Then he called my father and my father told him he would appoint a lawyer for me. I did not speak to a lawyer myself. Then he made me sign a document written in Hebrew and Arabic about my rights and that I was not beaten. The interrogation lasted for about an hour. My father later told me he went to the police station as requested but he was not allowed to see me or attend the interrogation.
 
Then they took my picture and my fingerprints and then took me to Huwwara military base where I was searched in my underwear. I spent two nights in a cell at Huwwara by myself. Then I was taken to Megiddo prison, inside Israel. I arrived at night and I was searched with my clothes on.
 
The following day I was taken to Salem military court where I saw my sister and mother. The military judge decided to keep me in detention and the hearing was adjourned. I had four hearings and at the last one I was sentenced in a plea bargain to six months in prison and fined NIS 2,000. I also received a suspended sentence of six months in prison valid for three years. 
 
I spent my entire sentence at Megiddo prison where I studied mathematics and Arabic and my parents visited me four times. Towards the end on my sentence I appeared in front of a judge who reduced my sentence by two months. I was released at Al Jalama checkpoint on 24 June 2018, and I went home with my family.