During the week of Sunday, 7 Shevat, Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado filed a NIS 32,000 civil suit with the Afula Magistrate Court on behalf of a 15-year-old demonstrator who was detained and slapped in the face by a police officer during a protest.

The protest was held on 10 Teves at the Tishbi Intersection in the north of Israel in response to reports of the ISA torturing Jewish minors who were detained and interrogated in the Kfar Duma case. At the protest 18 demonstrators, some of whom complained of police brutality, were detained and brought to the Nazareth Magistrate Court. The complaints included use of tear gas by the police. The complaints included use of tear gas by the police.

Simultaneously four demonstrators were detained during a protest at the Cords Bridge in Jerusalem.

According to the statement of claim, during the protest, the 15-year-old demonstrator was detained and pinned to the engine hood of a police car by three policemen, even though he did not resist detention. At this stage a police officer came and slapped the complainant in his face twice, while he was completely restrained by three policemen. The complainant was then taken into the police car by the policemen as the police officer shoved his back.

The following day the complainant was released at the Nazareth Magistrate Court and he subsequently filed a complaint with the Police Investigation Unit on police brutality.

“The case is a typical instance of police brutality, in this case aggravated brutality. Unrestrained force was applied to a minor who does not have a criminal record and who had no ability to defend himself,” wrote Honenu Attorney Menasheh Yado in the statement of claim. “For all intents and purposes, police brutality is assault. There should be no leniencies and perhaps there should be stringencies concerning police brutality completely lacking justification, as occurred in this case. Brutality injures, humiliates and severely harms the self-confidence of a citizen and the trust of citizens in the law enforcement authorities.”

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)