A minor Jewish youth arrested on suspicion of connection to Price Tag attacks was released on Monday Jan. 4th. He reports that interrogators threatened him, “We’ll torture you like we tortured the Duma suspects.”

A week after being arrested on suspicions of being connected to ‘Price Tag’ attacks near Gush Talmonim in Western Binyamin, a Jewish youth was released to his home on Monday Jan. 4th. Throughout his interrogations, the youth denied the accusations.

At first, the youth, like the Duma suspects, was banned from meeting with a lawyer and his arrest was lengthened by 5 days. Later, a lawyer on behalf of Honenu met with the youth and the youth explained how the accusations were not true. Friends of the youth told Hakol Hayehudi, that the interrogators threatened the youth. “They told him that if he didn’t confess they would send him to be tortured like they did to the Duma suspects.”

It is noteworthy that the Shabak continues to deny the use of torture against the Duma suspects, even as it seems these other interrogators used the threat of such torture against other suspects.

On Sunday Jan. 3rd, the police filed a request to lengthen the youth’s arrest by an additional 5 days. Judge Shaul Gabbai-Richter, gave the police until Monday Jan. 4th to find additional evidence to lengthen the arrest.

On Monday, after no new evidence was provided, the youth was released to ten days of house arrest. As he was released, the youth received an administrative order signed by Central Commander Roni Noma ordering the youth to stay under nighttime house arrest for several months.

The use of administrative orders as a way of punishing suspects without evidence or a trial has become typical in cases involving Jewish youths. It is noteworthy that Mordechai Meyer, who was placed in administrative detention under similar circumstances, was released one month before the order expired since it was discovered that the suspicions against him were not true.

Lawyer Sinai Mozes Harizi who represented the youth on behalf of Honenu said, “From the beginning there was no evidence against the youth. They took a 15 year-old youth with no criminal history and prevented him from meeting a lawyer. The use of this extreme tool has become far too common in cases like this. Even after the arrest and interrogations, the suspicions against the youth remained baseless and he was released. It is quite a shame that he was arrested in the first place since there was no evidence to begin with.”

Interrogators Threaten: Torture like the Duma Suspects