The Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID) in the State Prosecutor's Office filed indictments on Tuesday with the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court against four Border Police officers for the severe assault of a Palestinian man in the Shuafat refugee camp, the PIID announced in a statement.
According to the indictments submitted by attorney Keren Lavi from the PIID, the officers were accused of violently assaulting a Palestinian resident of Shuafat in east Jerusalem in August 2023 during a search of his home.
After finding suspected drugs in the man's home, the Border Police officers allegedly restrained the complainant using force in front of his children and wife. They then led him to an inner room in the house, where, while his hands were tied behind his back, one of the defendants kicked him forcefully in the face, causing bleeding.
Man physically attacked by Border Police officers
Shortly after, while still being restrained, the complainant was beaten, punched, slapped, and kicked.
According to the PIID, the man was bound in a position by the Border Police officers known as the "banana," where his hands and legs were tied together behind his back. All this, the PIID said, was done without justification or necessity.
Some of the officers were also accused of attempting to destroy evidence that documented the incident. According to the indictment, the defendants deliberately deleted footage from their GoPro cameras that documented the incident, as well as photos taken on their cell phones.
The indictments charged the defendants with aggravated assault, assault causing serious injury, and destruction of evidence.