Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court Justice Yitzchak Milinoff on Wednesday convicted a border police officer for assaulting an avreich during a protest in Yerushalayim a year ago.
According to the daily HaMevaser, the conviction is rare indeed, explaining that over the course of recent years, thousands of complaints have been filed by chareidim against police and it is extremely rare for a policeman to stand trial, yet alone convicted of assault.
Officer Gilad Mizrachi, a platoon commander, was found guilty of beating the avreich, during a protest on Bar Ilan Street on June 17, 2009. The plaintiff presented photo documentation to support his allegations.
The plaintiff, R’ Aryeh Hirschkopf is a resident of Betar Illit. He was standing on the rooftop of 25 Bar Ilan Street, photographing the demonstration. At some point, a number of police also came on the roof, led by Mizrachi, who was unpleased to find Hirschkopf upon his arrival.
Mizrachi instructed Hirschkopf to turn over his camera, to which the plaintiff responded, “By what authority. You do not have a right. I have done nothing wrong”.
Mizrachi then pounded on him, throwing the camera down and beating the plaintiff over his entire body, then telling him “this is the last time that you refuse a cop”. Making things worse, Mizrachi filed a false report, stating the camera was just found on the roof, hiding the fact that he confiscated it. When Hirschkopf asked police for his camera back, they refused, opting to believe Mizrachi who said the camera was not Hirschkopf’s, but it was found on the ground. He then filed a report with the Justice Ministry Police Investigations Unit, backed up by testimony from witnesses who saw the beating, in addition to medical documentation testifying to his injuries. Mizrachi’s men opted to stand behind him, giving false testimony to investigators, insisting they never saw a beating.
The big break came when one of Mizrachi’s subordinates, Officer Shlomi Rabibo, a frum individual, approached investigators to change his statement, explaining his conscience does not permit him to leave the false testimony standing. In his statement, which later was given over as testimony in court, he described the true events and the beating sustained by Hirschkopf.
In his 25-page ruling, Justice Milinoff found Hirschkopf guilty of section 380 of the penal code. He was also found guilty of interfering in a criminal investigation in accordance with section 244 of the penal code. Sentencing will follow at a later date.
Unfortunately, Officer Rabibo has since been compelled to leave the department due to the ill treatment he has sustained since he gave testimony against a fellow officer.
Hirschkopf also thanked MK Meir Porush for his invaluable assistance throughout the ordeal.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
9 Responses
At least one Gestapo officer got punished.
I’m confused Paragraph 8 – shouldn’t it be mizrachi was found guilty and then who was interfering with the investigation, mizrachi or hirschkopf?
why are the false reports of the policemen being ignored, is that not a crime too
I hope this sends a message to other officers who have a vicious hatred towards Chareidim!
I quote “Unfortunately, Officer Rabibo has since been compelled to leave the department due to the ill treatment he has sustained since he gave testimony against a fellow officer.”
This is unfortunate in that it reveals that the border guards are inherently corrupt. They will not tolerate someone who speaks the truth.
IY”H, they will begin to prosecute ALL the disgusting police officers who fail to obey the law, instead deciding that the law is in fact whatever they wish. There appears to be no accepted procedure, no transparency, and absolutely no accountability in the Jerusalem Police Department. These individuals are truly “pigs”.
They don’t hate chareidim, as much as they hate law and any authority that isn’t their own.
Kain yirboo.
Yes, the policeman acted horribly. Yes, it’s great that he got convicted. Yes, it’s a shame that corruption exists within the police. But, no, a “Gestapo officer” as he was referred to in comment #1, did not get punished. They may be corrupt, anti-chareidi, unprincipled, etc. But they are not Gestapo. Let’s not insult the memories of those who died al kiddush Hashem at the hands of, and those who lived despite the attempts of, the true Gestapo, yemach shemam.
Sadly, most (though not all) Israeli cops, as cops everywhere, think having a badge, a baton, and a gun, make them into mini-gods that don’t have to account to anyone. They think they are above everyone else and can do anything they want, and get away with it. Baruch HaSh-m this time, this bum did not get away with it.
M A Y B E, just maybe, it will make others think before they act.