Ofer - Membership/activity in unauthorized association, Minors

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Observers: 
Vivy Sury, Nitza Aminov (reporting)
Jan-7-2019
|
Morning

Translation: Marganit W.

 

How to cope with Military Court lingo?

 

Judge: Lieut. Col. Rani Aamer

Defense: Atty. Bilal Naamana

Detainee: Odeh Askar

 

A plea agreement was presented to the judge.

Odeh Askar is accused of belonging to the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. His cousin’s hearing, took place later.

 

The protocol says: “ the accused was convicted based on his admission as part of a plea agreement. During an unspecified period he was an active member of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.”…

The charge does not specify the period of his membership and when it ended.”

 

As usual, some “mitigating circumstances” were added: the accused confessed and he has no prior record.

Obviously, the accused chose to confess in order to reach a plea bargain (like 99.99% of detaineesinfo-icon brought before the military courts.)

 

According to the agreement, he was sentenced to 10 months in prison, 2500-shekel fine and 12 month probation for 5 years.

 

The judge noted that the penalty is unusually strict  because “this violation – i.e., membership in the Popular Front – is particularly harmful to the interests of society. Let me remind you that the Popular Front’s aim is the destruction of the state of Israel.”

 

A similar agreement was reached with the cousin, Khaled Askar, accused of aiding and abetting the Popular Front. In early 2017 he received two members of the organization in his home.

He too received 10 months prison time, 2000-shekel fine and 3-month probation for 3 years.

 

In the yard we talked to a father whose underage son was taken from his grandfather’s house on 4.1.19 at 18:30. The boy was interrogated for two hours at the police station without a parent or attorney present.

The policewoman who was in court agreed to release him on 3000-shekel bail. The father told us he does not have the money for the deposit. The attorney told the court that the boy – accused of rock throwing – denies the allegation. The police testimony was given only on Sunday 6.1.19 in the afternoon. The attorney convinced the judge that the father’s signature and his guarantee that the boy would report to interrogation should suffice.