Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir, who represents one of the Jewish suspects in the July 30 Duma Village arson case in which almost an entire Arab family perished, said that the police and the Shin Bet substantially violated his client’s rights, NRG and various other Israeli news outlets reported Thursday. Ben Gvir claimed that his client was assaulted repeatedly during his interrogation. “Gradually we are becoming like Argentina,” he complained. “They don’t allow us to see him, they don’t bring him to court hearings, they hide him in the Shin Bet cellars after it becomes clear that during his detention he was beaten and attacked. That’s how you run a democratic government,” he said.
Attorney Hai Haber who also represents clients suspected of involvement in the Duma arson said that “after eight days during which my client has been under arrest without seeing his lawyer or his family, or even a judge, the public was informed that in a country that claims to be democratic it is possible to legally ‘disappear’ people without any entity being able to review the actions of the interrogators.”
According to Haber there is no basis for the accusations: “As the picture becomes clearer it will become obvious that announcements by the investigators of progress in this or that investigation have no grounds in reality,” he said.
Attorney Adi Keidar who also represents some of the detainees said that he is unable to comment on the suspicions and the evidence. “What is possible to say clearly and accurately is that during the past week, the State of Israel, through all the heads of law enforcement agencies—Shin Bet, police, prosecutor’s office and the courts—have coalesced, and throughout this week there have been violations of the law and violations of human rights of the first order—they sanctioned every possible vermin enable this investigation,” Keidar said.
Deputy Police Commissioner Benzi Sau told Ha’aretz this week that the Duma arson investigation is a very high priority for the police. “This case does not go off the table of investigators from the Central District and the Shin Bet,” Sao said. “We employ very many tools in this investigation,” he added, suggesting “it should be of the greatest interest, first and foremost to the state of Israel, to solve the case and put our hand on the perpetrators. As someone familiar with the details of the case, I am very optimistic about deciphering this murder.”
Even the Supreme Court collaborated with the systemic violation of the rights of one suspect, according to Walla. Due to an exceptional interest and the need for judicial control, his detention was extended by the Supreme Court instead of by a Magistrate’s Court. The detention was extended by 72 hours, during which the suspect did not see a court or his lawyers.