Testimonies

Muhand Basilah, laborer

On Wednesday, 31 December, I went to the Magistrate's Court in Jerusalem for a hearing involving my brother, Murad Basilah, who is twenty-one. He has been held at the Russian Compound [Jerusalem Police headquarters] since 27 December for taking part in a demonstration in solidarity with the people in Gaza.

I reached the courthouse about 11:30. I asked at information when my brother's hearing would begin, and was told that it would be held at 12:30 P.M.. I took a seat in the corridor on the second floor of the courthouse, and waited. Around 12:30 P.M., I saw my brother arrive. His hands and legs were bound and three policemen in light-olive-green uniforms, lighter than Border Police uniforms, accompanied him. I think they were from the Nachshon Unit. When my brother and the policemen approached, I went over to my brother. I wanted to shake his hand and ask how he was.  When I got to about half a meter from him, and before I managed to put out my hand, one of the policemen, who had a brownish skin color, grabbed me violently by the neck and pushed me to the floor. I tried to keep my feet. The policeman spoke into a communications device attached to his shoulder of his shirt, and within a few moments, six police officers in the same kind of uniform came, and all of them beat me. They kicked and punched me all over my body, and then they threw me onto the floor. One of them cuffed me and pulled my hands behind me. This took place near the elevator.

After that, I saw a policewoman in the same kind of uniform. She had three stars on her shoulder and was in her forties. She saw what happened. One of the policemen hit me hard in the left eye with something, I don't know what. Everything appeared black to me and I became dizzy. Somebody put his knee on my shoulder and pinned me to the floor. The others continued to beat me. They hit me in the face in particular. The beating lasted more than five minutes. It hurt a lot, and my nose and face bled. Two policemen picked me up from the floor, but I couldn't stand due to the pain and dizziness. The two of them walked me less than a meter. A third policeman grabbed me by the neck from the back, choking me. This lasted for a few seconds, and then he let me go.

They took me down to the first floor of the Court. One of them grabbed me and kicked me in the crotch a few times. It hurt so much that I almost passed out. They put me into an empty courtroom, sat me down, and beat me. I started to threaten to file a complaint. I told them we live in a state of law. One of them, who was bald, with a bit of hair on the sides of his head, said, laughing, “We're the law here!” To his friends, he said, “We did a good job with the colors [blood] on his face.” I was bleeding from the nose and face.

I remained in the courtroom until two policemen in blue uniforms [of the regular police] appeared. One of them was tall, pale-skinned, and had blue eyes. He shouted at me to stand next to the wall. I refused, and then he pushed me against the wall and searched me. Then they took me outside, put me into a patrol car, and drove me to the Russian Compound.

At the Russian Compound, they interrogated me, saying that I was charged with assaulting police officers. I told them what happened. The police interrogators photographed me with a regular (stills) camera and by video. My face was bloody. They put me in a room, where I waited a long time, maybe two hours. Then they took me to the jail doctor. He refused to treat me, saying I had to go to the hospital.

About two hours later, I was taken by patrol car to Hadassah Hospital, Ein Kerem, where I underwent tests and received treatment. I remained there until the next day, Thursday. On my release from the hospital, I was taken to the courthouse, but not for a hearing. They had me sign something, I don't know what, and then they released me.

The same day, I went to the Department for the Investigation of Police and filed a complaint. The investigator took a picture of me.

I am still receiving treatment for my eyes, at St. John Hospital. They hurt and my vision is blurred.

Muhand Khalawi Farhat Basilah, 23, is a laborer and a resident of the Shu'afat refugee camp, in East Jerusalem. His testimony was given to Kareem Jubran in the Shu'afat refugee camp on 6 January 2009.