The Supreme Court this morning, Thursday, rejected the appeal of A., the minor who was tortured in the Duma case, and upheld the minor's conviction of membership in a terrorist organization.
At the end of the verdict, Judge Elron criticized the harsh interrogations that the minor underwent and the conditions of his detention, but said, "In view of the seriousness of the appellant's acts, their repetition, and the circumstances of their execution, I do not believe that the sentence imposed on him is severe in any respect. This, despite his young age and the harsh conditions of his arrest and interrogation - from which it would have been better to refrain."
''Therefore, I do not believe that the punishment imposed on the appellant should be interfered with. Finally, I will propose to my colleagues to dismiss the appeal on both parts," said Elron. Next to him in the panel sat Judges Mintz and Hendel.
The minor is being held in a guarded wing, closed away about 22 hours a day in his cell. He is prohibited from making telephone contact with his family and lawyers. His family is allowed to visit him only once every two weeks behind a glass partition.
Atty. Adi Keidar from the Honenu organization who represented the minor said, "The Supreme Court decision we have just received is a puzzling decision. Despite an in-depth and rich hearing held in the case of the minor appellant, the decision in his case is detached from the legal questions raised in the hearing, and the perplexities raised by the judges before the State Attorney's Office. We need to study the decision, mentioning that in practice the big headline of the case has not changed, and that is the defeat suffered by the prosecution and the Shabak in the district court, where the confessions of the defendants were rejected in light of the torture they underwent. The Supreme Court in the end of the judgment also addressed the lack of necessity for these tortures."