Israeli Court Sentences Palestinian Detainee to Life Imprisonment
Translated & summarized from Arab48 by baba
An Israeli military court sentenced Nazmi Abu Bakr to life imprisonment and ordered him to pay millions in financial compensation after a six-year trial involving 85 sessions. Abu Bakr was convicted of causing the death of an Israeli soldier in 2020, a charge he denies. Palestinian prisoner advocacy groups claim he was tortured, denied legal access, and that the military court system lacks fairness and integrity. They are calling for international action against Israel's treatment of detainees.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Nazmi Abu Bakr received a life sentence and millions in fines from an Israeli military court.
- The conviction stems from the 2020 death of an Israeli soldier during an army raid in Yabad.
- Abu Bakr's trial lasted six years and included 85 court sessions.
- Palestinian groups allege Abu Bakr was tortured and denied fair trial rights.
- Advocacy groups are calling for international accountability for Israeli actions against detainees.
An Israeli military court on Thursday sentenced Nazmi Abu Bakr, 55, from the town of Yabad near Jenin, to life imprisonment and imposed millions of shekels in financial compensation. The sentence comes after six years of detention and 85 court sessions. Abu Bakr was accused of causing the death of an Israeli soldier during an army raid on Yabad in 2020, a charge he has consistently denied since his arrest.
The Israeli military stated that the military court in the occupied West Bank handed down the life sentence and ordered financial compensation exceeding four million shekels. Abu Bakr had been convicted on May 11 of "intentional causing of death," equivalent to murder under Israeli military law applied to Palestinians, and "obstruction of judicial proceedings."
The incident occurred on May 12, 2020, when Israeli forces entered Yabad for arrests. The army claimed Abu Bakr threw a concrete block weighing nine to 11 kilograms from a rooftop, killing a soldier. They further alleged he fled to his home, feigned sleep, and later returned to the scene to remove evidence and obstruct the investigation.
However, the Palestinian Detainees Affairs Commission and the Palestinian Prisoners' Club stated that Abu Bakr was arrested the same day the soldier died. They asserted he denied the charges throughout the investigation and trial, claiming he was subjected to "harsh torture and investigation" at Jalameh detention center, denied access to his lawyer, and held in solitary confinement. They also noted the compensation amount was set at four and a half million shekels.
Following Abu Bakr's arrest, Israeli forces conducted widespread arrests in Yabad, including family members, according to Palestinian prisoner institutions. These organizations criticized the military court system, calling it part of a mechanism used by Israeli authorities against Palestinians and lacking basic standards of justice, independence, and integrity. They accused Israeli forces of relying on exceptional procedures that restrict defendants' rights, including the use of confessions allegedly extracted under torture and ill-treatment. The organizations reiterated their call for the dismantling of the military court system and for international accountability for violations against Palestinian detainees.
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