Ofer Military Court, Tuesday, 20.6.06Reporting: Roni H (Hall 4), Hagit S and guest (Hall 7 for remand extension)The session began at 10 am, and we were there two and a half hours.The files of 11 prisoners were discussed. It was difficult to hear, hard to follow. The usual hubbub in the courtroom, bringing in and taking out of prisoners in leg chains, families brought in and taken out, some lawyers in perpetuum mobile in the court and outside and, above all, at least four security men who were in and out endlessly.The judge, Lieutenant Colonel (Res?) Meir Lahan pays no attention whatsoever to the prisoners, not even to look at them, as though they aren`t present in court. However, he does not pressurize the few defence attorneys who bother to present arguments against the prosecution, and listens to their contentions patiently., but in every case that we heard he stipulates in his ruling that the existing evidence is prima facie, to be checked at the stage of presentation of proofs, meanwhile the prisoner will be returned to prison until conclusion of the proceedings because he is dangerous and likely to flee.In most cases the defence and prosecution reached agreement on remand until completion of the proceedings. One prisoner received two months prison, or a fine of 1500 shekels and four months conditional for three years, in return for pleading guilty of throwing stones at a car with intent to harm.A prisoner who was accused of selling a stolen car, and denied the charge, was released by agreement of both sides. He undertook to deposit 10,000 shekels, and his brother who was present in court and protested the prisoners innocence, undertook to sign a third party bond of 25,000. The judge ruled that the accused will report to the police whenever so required (sounds like a variation of white collar crime, given completely different treatment from the security offences discussed here).The frequent accusations in the files: stone throwing, Molotov Cocktails thrown at Israeli vehicles with intent to do harm (prisoners arrested by the security forces before they managed to throw), possession of combat material, membership in a hostile organization, service to an organization (writing graffiti, hanging notices). The organizations mentioned: Shohad el Aksa, Tanzim.Among these were testimonies relating to past membership, from 2000. In one case the prisoner was accused of past membership and conspiring to kidnap and kill a resident of the area, suspected of spying for Israel.A case on which the court spent more time derived from a suspicion of mixed identities. A few charges regarding the holding of combat material and membership in hostile organizations, were against two people of similar name but different ID numbers. One of the two was the prisoner in court. The judge did not acquiesce in the defence demand to make a number of checks that would verify the identity of his client. The attorney muttered to himself that eventually they would place the one in administrative detention while the other would be tried and found guilty. The judge ruled “to the end of proceedings” and the file would be brought for proofs in August (two more months).