Ofer - Barred (from meeting with attorney), Incriminators

Translation: Marganit W.

Quote from the judge: “We have a rare case here: the prosecutor was supposed to hand in an indictment, but instead recanted and asked to return the case for further investigation.”

It is the case of Suzan Awiwi, member of the Hebron municipal board, who has been in detention since 5.6.18.

Suzan had been interrogated for three weeks at the SHABAC [GSS] facility in Ashkelon and was barred from seeing counsel.

Judge: Lieut. Col. Shmuel Kedar.

Defense: Atty. Munzer Abu Ahmad.

A request for 8-day remand extension had been submitted.

Suzan is held at Sharon Prison, and the purpose of the motion is to return her to the SHABAC facility.

Again and again, Atty. Abu Ahmad asked the investigator for further details. The investigator was assisted by the military prosecutor.

After a long debate the judge said: “Neither myself nor the defense have ever encountered such a procedure in our long years in the courts, which indicates that there is something fundamental here that might change the indictment.”

The judge ordered a remand extension until 11.7.18 to complete the investigation.

Suzan’s husband and her mother were present in court: they were as stunnd as she herself was.

Next came the case of Muhammad Alsharabati, who was represented by Atty. Haled Al Arej.

Muhammad, 18 years old now, is a resident of Tel Rumeida in Hebron.

He was arrested for violations committed since he was 12, the last one was when he was 17, i.e., when he was a minor.

He was arrested on 22.5.18 as a result of incrimination [It is needless to reiterate the well-known fact that the SHABAC puts pressure on every detainee to incriminate others against various promises. – NA].

The defense stressed that those were all old violations committed when Muhammad was a minor. It’s been a year since he stopped all such activity. He is employed now and can be described as a responsible person.

The prosecutor agreed that some of the charges are old but maintained that the detainee has continued the activity.

The charges include participation in rallies (disturbance of the peace, in court parlance) and throwing rocks.

The judge accepted the defense’s claim that the detainee had opened a new leaf and ordered his release against 7000-shekel bail.

The prosecutor requested a 72-hour delay, but the judge agreed to 30 only. 

An arraignment hearing was set for 14.8.18.