מעצר בלתי חוקי? המשטרה תשלם

The Magistrate's Court in Petah Tikva ruled that the arrest of a resident of Emmanuel was illegal and ordered the police to pay him 5,500 shekels in expenses and legal fees. The court found that the resident was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a public official and making threats, despite the fact that the police's request for an arrest warrant had already been denied by the court. It was revealed during the hearing that the suspicions related to another person, and that there was no indication of the resident's involvement in the offenses being investigated.

Despite the judge's decision to deny the arrest warrant, the police arrested the individual, interrogated him, and brought him before the court for an extension of his detention. The resident's attorney, Nati Rom of the Honenu organization, argued for his immediate release without conditions and demanded that the police be charged with expenses for the unlawful arrest.

Magistrate Judge Ronen Polak accepted the defense's claims, declared the arrest illegal, and ordered the resident's immediate release. He also ordered the police to pay 2,000 shekels in expenses and 3,500 shekels in attorney's fees, totaling 5,500 shekels.

The police appealed the decision to the District Court, seeking to cancel the financial penalty. However, police representatives failed to appear for the appeal hearing. District Court Judge Ron Sulkin waited for over half an hour before dismissing the appeal. As a result, the original payment of 5,500 shekels remains in effect. Furthermore, the police were ordered to respond within seven days regarding the possibility of additional expenses due to the absence of their representatives from the hearing.

Attorney Nati Rom strongly criticized the police's conduct, calling the arrest a blatant violation of the law and a profound disregard for human rights. He expressed regret that the police chose to appeal the ruling, incurring public expense, rather than learning from the court's sharp criticism.