Israeli Soldier on Trial in Girl's Death
AP
Date: 12-09-04
By LAURIE COPANS, Associated Press Writer
JERUSALEM - An Israeli soldier went on trial in a military court Thursday on charges of repeatedly shooting a 13-year-old Palestinian girl to make sure she was dead.
Soldiers fired at the girl, Iyman Hams, as she approached a military observation post near the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) on Oct. 5. The soldiers said they thought she was planting a bomb. The girl's family said she was on her way to school.
According to the five-count indictment, the officer approached the girl after she was shot and fired two rounds at her body from close range in an outlawed practice known as "verifying the kill." He walked away, turned around and shot her again, the indictment charged.
"According to the evidence, the officer shot the body of the young Palestinian child," prosecutor Ronen Ketsev told journalists. "Under the circumstances, he had absolutely no reason to do so."
The officer also tried to persuade some of his soldiers to lie about the case, Ketsev said.
Yoav Mali, a defense attorney, denied the girl was just walking past the military post.
"She was not innocent," Mali told reporters at the court. "She was there to commit, to take part in a terrorist attack on the post or near the post."
The soldier, who has not been identified, has been charged with two counts of illegally using his weapon, and one count each of obstruction of justice, conduct unbecoming an officer and improper use of authority.
Palestinian hospital officials said the girl was shot at least 15 times, mostly in the upper body.
In four years of Israeli-Palestinian violence, hundreds of Palestinian children and teens have been killed by army fire, often in clashes between stone throwers and Israeli troops. The army rarely launches investigations into the incidents.
Israeli soldiers have become increasingly wary of Palestinian teenagers and women, after several carried out suicide bombings or transported explosives. The Rafah camp is a frequent flashpoint of fighting between soldiers and Palestinian militants.
The accused officer initially said he came under fire from Palestinian gunmen at least 300 yards away as he approached the girl's body and shot at the ground to deter the fire, a military official said. A soldier in an observation tower said the officer aimed at the girl's body, the official said.
Source
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
|