On 11 January 2014, a 16-year-old minor from Beit Fajjar was arrested by Israeli soldiers at 3:00 p.m. and accused of throwing stones. He reports ill treatment and being denied his basic legal rights under Israeli military law. He reports being released on bail of NIS 500, six days after his arrest. 

I was walking near the entrance to my village with a friend at about 3:00 pm when we saw some young men throwing stones. My friend and I stopped to see what was going on when all of a sudden we saw Israeli soldiers chasing the stone throwers. My friend and I got scared and decided to run away. We ran towards the village and the soldiers followed us. Then an Israeli military jeep drove in our direction. Although we ran as fast as we could the jeep caught up with us.

 

The soldiers got out of the jeep and one of them fired rubber bullets at us and I was hit in the leg. I couldn’t continue running and the soldiers caught me. One of the soldiers immediately hit me with his gun causing my head to bleed. I was in severe pain. Another soldier tied my hands behind my back with three plastic ties and blindfolded me. I was then pushed into the back of the jeep. Two soldiers sat with me and the jeep drove away.

 

The jeep drove for about five minutes before it stopped and I was let out. I was able to see through the blindfold that we were in a big courtyard with lots of soldiers and military jeeps. The soldiers made me sit on the ground for about 15 minutes before one of them held my hand and took me to see a doctor. They removed my blindfold but kept my hands tied. The doctor wiped the blood off my head and asked me if I suffered from any illness. He wanted to know if I had any allergies. I told him I didn’t suffer from any illnesses or allergies but told him that the soldiers hit me. He told me there was no problem and that I was ok.

 

While I was being examined by the doctor I heard a soldier say we were in Etzion settlement. A soldier then took me to a cell and at around 6:00 p.m. they brought me some food. I was in a small room by myself. One of the soldiers removed the hand ties so that I could eat. I slept there for one night and on the following morning, 12 January, I was taken out to a big courtyard where a soldier handcuffed me and shackled my legs. I was then put in a GMC van which drove for about one-and-a-half hours. I wasn’t blindfolded. The vehicle arrived at a place which I later found out from the soldiers was Ofer prison, near Jerusalem. I was immediately taken for interrogation. The soldiers removed the shackles but kept my handcuffs on.
 

An interrogator in civilian clothes was sitting in the room. A soldier sat me on a chair and I remained in the room with the interrogator by myself. The interrogator spoke Arabic but it was clear to me that Arabic wasn’t his native language. The interrogator had a tape recorder in front of him. He started by telling me I was accused of throwing stones and setting tires on fire. I denied the accusations. He didn’t inform me of my right to silence and didn’t tell me I had the right to consult with a lawyer. He also didn’t allow me to speak to my parents.

 

I was not beaten or threatened. I denied all the accusations and told the interrogator that the soldiers beat me. He didn’t pay attention to what I told him and didn’t seem to be bothered by it. He only had one thing on his mind: that I confess to throwing stones. I continued to deny the accusation. The interrogation lasted for about one hour. Then the interrogator printed out a statement in Hebrew and asked me to sign it. He told me the statement said exactly what I had told him so in the end I signed it, even though I don’t understand Hebrew.

 

After the interrogation I was led to another room where my fingerprints and a photo of me were taken. Then I was taken to a shipping container where I remained for about an hour. Then a soldier came in and searched me he gave me prison clothes.

 
On the third day following my arrest a prison guard came and told me he was going to take me to Ofer military court. I was in court at around 9:00 a.m. My parents didn’t show up because they were not informed that I had a hearing. A lawyer was there to represent me. I made it clear to the lawyer that I didn’t confess to anything and that the soldiers beat me. The lawyer told me the hearing was adjourned for three days and that he was going to try to release me on bail. I was then taken back to Ofer prison.

 

Three days later, on the sixth day following my arrest, a policeman came to tell me I had another court hearing. It was around 9:00 a.m. I waited outside the military court until around 1:00 p.m. Then the soldiers took me to the courtroom where I saw my mother. The soldiers allowed me to speak to my mother. At the end of the court hearing the military judge decided to release me on bail. My family had to pay NIS 500. Then I was taken back to Ofer prison.

 

At around 6:00 p.m. a soldier came and told me he was going to release me. I was released at around 7:00 p.m. and my mother was waiting for me outside the prison. We took a taxi and arrived home at around 9:00 p.m. I don’t know if I need to show up at the military court again or not. Nobody told me anything.