“A detective and special riot police force officer came to my house and said that I am under arrest for questioning in Maale Adumim,” 12 year old A. described his arrest. “They caught me by the hands and put me in a police car that took me to the Judea and Samaria station in Maale Adumim.”
“The interrogations went on for 9 hours straight. They asked me if I was present at the incident and if I knew who did it.”
A. remained silent throughout the exhausting interrogations. Only after he was allowed to speak with a lawyer from Honenu, did he present his alibi.
As part of the attempt to apply psychological pressure, the children were shown pictures of the Arab victims, some of them badly burnt. A. was also taken to the entrance of the hospital where the victims are hospitalized.
Two of the boys were even taken to the scene of the incident in order to recreate the crime, however they refused to participate with the detectives, denying any connection to the incident.
“When they took me to reconstruct the crime, I asked Shmulik Piamenta (commander of the Judea and Samaria police interrogation unit) to call my father to come because we were very close to our settlement,” A. related.
“Piamenta told me that my father was just on his way to the station. Afterwards, I spoke with my father and he said that he was at home. At this point, I understood that Piamenta was lying to me and that I cannot believe this person,” described A.
According to M., when he asked to speak with Honenu attorney Adi Kedar, the interrogating officers “innocently” claimed that they had never heard of the organization and that they don’t know Kedar, whom they had been working against for over 20 years.
“During the interrogation, they told me that my friends confessed to everything and that because I wasn’t talking, I would wind up with 20 years in jail,” said M. “That’s how they shouted and threatened me for seven hours.”
“They tell you that they know everything about you, but in reality they just know a few details and blow it up as if they know a lot,” said 13-year-old M., whose five days of exhausting interrogations taught him a thing or two about behavior under police interrogation. “You have to remain silent because if you are silent, you will get out quicker.”
A. concluded with words of appreciation for the Honenu employees and attorneys Adi Kedar and David Levi who represented him, as well as to all the friends who came to the hearings to show support.
“It’s better not to contact anyone or talk to anyone,” he imparted his newly acquired wisdom. “Just listen the Honenu lawyers and to God.”