Photos of the soldiers who were arrested at the Sde Teiman base on suspicion of abusing a captured Hamas operative were circulated on Sunday on Arab social media groups.
The photos were distributed from the Beit Lid base in violation of an order forbidding their publication. Attorney Adi Keidar, representing some of the soldiers, appealed to the President of the Military Court demanding that the media not be allowed in deliberations and to investigate who distributed the video.
Keidar emphasized in his letter the fact that the court allowed the media to enter the soldiers' hearings while preventing the entry of their family members: "Since the discussions on the matter began, we have experienced great difficulties in bringing in relatives, friends, and even assistants and representatives of different organizations. There is a strong feeling of exclusion."
"Nevertheless, throughout the period, the IDF Spokesperson and the media were given a free hand to enter the discussions, which revealed again a lack of balance. Is it right for journalists to sit in the hall while family members wait for long hours under the scorching sun?", wondered Keidar.
"And here what I feared has come to pass. A few hours ago, Arab media published videos from the courtroom showing, among others, the faces of the suspects and their family members, a blatant violation of the order against publication," he wrote.
Attorney Kedar demanded that the President of the Military Court prevent the media from entering the discussions about the soldiers and investigate who leaked the photos of the soldiers: "This is a scandal that adds to a chain of severe leaks. I request that henceforth the IDF Spokesperson and media representatives not be allowed to enter at all and to conduct a thorough investigation to identify the person who leaked the video against the order and to handle the matter immediately and with full seriousness."
The IDF has stated that it views with utmost gravity the publication of the faces of the suspects. "The IDF views with utmost severity the publication of the faces of the suspects in the abuse of a security detainee under aggravated circumstances, which constitutes a flagrant violation of the order forbidding their publication issued by the military court. Immediately upon the discovery of the incident, a thorough investigation was conducted and a request was made to the media outlets by the IDF Spokesperson for the removal of the footage."