An IDF officer was indicted for seriously assaulting an Israeli citizen of Bedouin origin after the latter complained for being detained at a military checkpoint. The indictment was filed by the military prosecution on Thursday.
The indictment, filed by military prosecution on Thursday, says the man was beaten in the head with the butt of a gun, had his hands bound behind his back and was choked twice before being left bleeding, bruised and blindfolded for at least half an hour.
The officer, whose identity has not been released for publication, is charged with assault causing grievous bodily harm and conduct not becoming his position.
The incident took place on an evening three weeks ago. Fadel Haniya, a resident of the Bedouin village of Tel Sheva, was driving with his family when he was asked to stop on the side of the road so that the soldiers manning the Meitar checkpoint, located in the southern Hebron Hills, could search the car. But the search was delayed and Haniya complained to the Nahal Brigade officer, according to the indictment.
According to the indictment, the officer ordered Haniya to go with him to a site slightly remote from the car and told him to get down on his knees. When Haniya refused, the officer attempted, and failed, to knock Haniya down. Then, the officer cocked his Tavor rifle and pointed it at Haniya. The officer is accused of striking Haniya in the head with the gun, causing Haniya to fall to the ground, and handcuffing and blinding him, even though he wasn't accused of a crime.
As Haniya was lying on the ground on his stomach, the indictment says, the officer sat on him and beat him repeatedly. The officer then hit Haniya in the face with the magazine of his rifle, beating him in the head and abdominal area with the butt of the gun, and choking him twice. During the assault, the officer is said to have been muttering: "I'll kill you, I'll humiliate you in front of your family."
The officer then placed a soldier in charge of Haniya, who was left on the ground as he bled from his broken nose, face bruised, hands tied behind him and a cloth blindfold covering his eyes, according to the indictment. Twenty-five minutes later, he asked the soldier when he would be released.
The soldier then summoned the officer accused of beating Haniya, and he allegedly asked: "If I tell you to lie down, what do you do?" Haniya answered: "I'll lie down." The officer continued the questioning, asking: "And if I tell you to shut up, what do you say?" Haniya responded: "I'll shut up, just let me go now."
The officer, the charge then removed the handcuffs and escorted Haniya to his car, but didn't remove the blindfold until they reached it, at which point he told the family not to speak about the incident when they reached the checkpoint.
The incident was investigated by the Military Police after Haniya filed a complaint. The indictment is based on testimonies given by Haniya's family members, as well as his wounds and medical condition.
The officer's lawyer, Idan Pesach, said the officer was attacked first and was merely acting to restrain Fadel Haniya, the Israeli citizen from the Bedouin village of Tel Sheva who filed the complaint. He said the case should have been dismissed and that he would prove his client's innocence in court.
The Jaffa military tribunal is due to hear the case on Tuesday.
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