Investigate the incidents in Umm al-Hiran and safeguard freedom of speech and protest
Following the tragic events that took place in Umm al-Hiran on January 18, 2017 that led to the deaths of a civilian and a police officer and additional casualties, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel calls on the police commissioner to launch an investigation. ACRI Attorney Sharona Eliyahu Chai states in the appeal that witnesses who were on the ground reported extreme violence exerted by the police against the residents and activists who were in the village to protest the home demolitions. The testimonies point to disproportionate and exaggerated use of force against the protesters, including the use of sponge bullets, tear gas, stun grenades and physical force.
“No one disputes the fact that the police must act to maintain public order, and that officers had to cope with a highly charged ad complex situation in the village,” Attorney Eliyahu Chai wrote. “However, testimonies and reports raise suspicion that instead of trying to prevent confrontations as much as possible and employing proportionate methods based on an understanding of the difficulty of the situation and the physical and emotional pressure the residents were under – the police conduct only aggravated the situation further.”
In light of the expectation that there will be more protests across the country in the coming days over home demolitions and against police brutality in Umm al-Hiran, and to prevent further violence and injuries, ACRI has called on the police commissioner to enforce the procedure and rules that regulate the handling of riots in the police force, and to instruct them to exhibit maximum restraint during the upcoming protests, and to ensure the basic rights to freedom of expression and protest are safeguarded, as well as the right of demonstrators to bodily integrity and public order. ACRI also demands an investigation be led by an independent and impartial body to examine the unfolding of events in Umm al-Hiran and draw conclusions that can prevent such incidents from repeating in the future.
URGENT:
To
Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh
Israel Police
National Headquarters, Jerusalem
Re: Severe police brutality against residents and activists in Umm al-Hiran and police preparations for upcoming demonstrations across Israel
We are turning to you in light of the tragic events that took place in Umm al-Hiran and the witness accounts of severe police brutality against residents and activists who were in the village from the early morning hours on Wednesday to protest the home demolitions. The testimonies point to disproportionate and exaggerated use of force against the protesters, including the use of sponge bullets, tear gas, stun grenades and physical force against demonstrators, all detailed as follows:
- Today (January 18, 2017) in the early morning hours, hundreds of armed police officers arrived to assist law enforcement officials to carry out the court order to demolish structures in the unrecognized village of Umm al- Hiran in the Negev. There were dozens of residents of the villages, activists and Knesset members present to protest the anticipated demolition. During the incident, a resident and a police officer were killed, and several others injured, among them Joint List head, MK Ayman Odeh, MK Osama Sa’adi who were evacuated to Soroka Hospital for treatment.
- Various reports backed by documentation and testimonies from the ground point to a situation in which during efforts to disperse the protest, the police fired sponge bullets, a weapon that is not a suitable crowd dispersal method. Black sponge bullets are an extreme and dangerous weapon that the police began using two and a half years ago and have been used extensively in East Jerusalem during protests and disturbances. Their use in the last two years proves how dangerous and even lethal they can be: Over 30 people, half of them minors, have been seriously injured by this bullet. Many of them have lost an eye and are now handicapped for life. In all the cases, those shot were not involved in the disturbances and police did not suspect them of anything. In one case, the bullet killed a 16-year old who was shot in the head in September 2014. ACRI has for two years been calling on the police and the attorney general to put a stop to the use of this hazardous bullet (for more on this issue, click here.)
- Testimonies by residents and protesters that were in the village also point to the fact that during the home demolitions, the police used extreme force, firing exorbitant amounts of crowd dispersal methods, including tear gas and stun grenades, which led to the harsh confrontations between the forces and the civilians.
- No one disputes the fact that the police must act to maintain public order, and that officers had to cope with a highly charged and complex atmosphere in the village. However, testimonies and reports raise suspicion that instead of trying to prevent confrontations as much as possible and employing proportionate means based on an understanding of the difficulty of the situation and the physical and emotional pressure the residents were under –the police conduct only aggravated the situation further.
- Demonstrations across Israel took place on Thursday and are expected to continue in the coming days to protest the home demolitions and police conduct. To prevent any further bloodshed, the police should exhibit restraint, proportionality and reasonableness at the demonstrations, and work to safeguard the lawful rights to freedom of speech and protest, as well as calm and public order.
- The citizens who wish to protest the uprooting of thousands of Bedouin from their villages in the Negev are not enemies: They are citizens of the country. It is the police’s job to ensure their freedom of expression is protected.
- Therefore, and in light of the distressing testimonies we have laid out, we ask that you instruct officers of the Israel Police to adopt modes of actions and policies that fulfill the objectives of the police in a democratic society – such that basic rights to freedom of expression and protest are guaranteed, as well as the right to bodily integrity of demonstrators and public order. We ask that you enforce the procedures and rules that regulate the handling of riots by the police force, and to instruct them to exhibit maximum restraint during the upcoming demonstrations. We once again warn against disproportionate use of force, which includes the use of certain weapons, including sponge bullets and various grenades.
- In addition, we demand that you launch an investigation conducted by an independent and impartial entity, to examine the unfolding of the events from the moment the forces entered the village, including the use of force and an examination of the crowd dispersal methods, and of course the circumstances of the killing of the village resident, Yaqub Musa Abu Qi’an and police officer Erez Levi – in order to draw conclusions and prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
- Due to the severity of the incidents described in our letter, we appreciate a timely response.
Sincerely,
Sharona Eliyahu Chai, Advocate
Copied: Mr. Gilad Erdan, Minister of Public Security
Attorney Avichai Mandelblit, The Attorney General
Brigadier General Shaul Gordon, Senior Legal Advisor, Israel Police
