JERUSALEM – November 4, 2008 – The Judge Advocate General (JAG) of the IDF today informed the High Court of Justice that despite the Court’s recommendation to issue a more stringent indictment against Lt. Col. Omri Borberg and Staff Sgt. L. for shooting a handcuffed detainee with a rubber bullet at close range, he would not amend the original charge.
In response, ACRI’s Chief Legal Counsel Attorney Dan Yakir issued the following statement, on behalf of the petitioning organizations – ACRI, B’Tselem – The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, and Yesh Din – Volunteers for Human Rights: “We are very distraught that despite the Justices’ severe rebuke, the JAG did not change his position: namely, that the abuse of a handcuffed Palestinian detainee by a senior officer and shooting him is at most ‘inappropriate conduct.’ Therefore, it is the Court’s responsible to determine what the appropriate response is for such grave actions.”
For background information on the Ni’lin shooting case, visit the following Web page: https://law.acri.org.il/en/?p=527.
