A Beit Shemesh resident, E., whose mother and brother were detained on suspicion of involvement with a “price tag” incident was interrogated by the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police on suspicion of threatening a public figure after he spoke to the wife of Deputy Attorney General Shai Nitzan on the matter.

The story began approximately one month ago, when E.’s younger brother, a minor, was detained at the Elad Junction on suspicion of “possessing materials used in a nationalist crime,” according to an announcement from a police spokesman; the brother and a friend, also a minor, who was also detained, had felt-tipped pens and nails in their bags.

The minors were interrogated for several days at the Central Unit of the Shai (Yehuda and Shomron) Police. Detectives then raided the E.’s home and detained his mother, claiming that she had disrupted the investigation. The mother, approximately 45 years of age, had never been previously taken into a police station. She was not interrogated and apparently the sole reason for detaining her was to bring her to the police station in order to use her detention to pressure her son into confessing to acts to which he had no connection.

E. had previously met Nitzan and had a friendly conversation at a meeting of several right-wing activists with Nitzan. In light of his acquaintance with Nitzan E. went to Nitzan’s home, which is very close to his grandfather’s home, in order to speak to Nitzan and request that he use his authority to stop the harassment of E.’s family.

“I thought that I would exchange a few words with him and that he could assist in straightening out the situation,” said E. “I arrived at the family’s home at five thirty in the afternoon, a reasonable hour to knock on someone’s door.” Nitzan was not at home and E. spoke for a few minutes in a pleasant, cordial conversation with Nitzan’s wife. After E. left Nitzan’s home he received a phone call from the security officer of the Justice Ministry. E. refused to divulge details of the conversation, claiming that it was a private conversation. As far as E. was concerned that was the end of the story.

To his surprise approximately three weeks later he was urgently summoned to an interrogation at the Central Unit of the Jerusalem Police Station, where he was interrogated on suspicion of threatening a public figure. The interrogators claimed that E. had threatened the Nitzan family by telling them that there were activists who had wanted to protest opposite their home, but he had prevented them from doing so.

E., who enlisted in the IDF today, is worried that an indictment will be filed against him. “We have a feeling that they are harassing us and want to show us who is in charge and tell us, ‘No-one messes with us’” E. said.

Attorney Itamar Ben-Givir, who is representing E. on behalf of Honenu, stated, “We have reached a dismal situation in which a man who speaks to Shai Nitzan’s wife in a quiet, pleasant conversation is interrogated on suspicion of making threats. At this rate journalists who criticize Nitzan will be detained and Knesset Members who request an examination of his controversial activities will have their diplomatic immunity revoked. In any event it would interesting to know to where all of the advocates of freedom of expression and the staunch proponents of democracy from the citizens’ rights organizations have disappeared. Apparently citizens’ rights are only for terrorists and infiltrators.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)