Lawyer: Israel tortured detained Jordanians

Israeli intelligence officers mistreated two Jordanian citizens who crossed the border into the occupation state last month during protests against the Israeli aggression on Al-Aqsa Mosque and the besieged Gaza Strip, their lawyer said.

Khaled Mahajneh who represents Musab Al-Dajeh and Khalifa Al-Anouz told reporters outside the Israeli court in Nazareth that the two Jordanian citizens had been tortured by Israeli intelligence officers who were investigating them.

“Since the first day of their arrest on May 16, they were investigated by the Israeli intelligence, which practiced the most horrific practices against them, especially psychological pressure and verbal abuse,” Mahajneh said, adding: “They were handcuffed for extended periods during the investigation, causing one of them to become sick.”

“I will do my best to transfer the detainee to civilian hospital,” he added.

Mahajneh said the Israeli intelligence and police have informed the court that they had concluded their investigation with the Jordanian detainees and decided to file indictments against them on charges of “conspiracy and attempted murder in addition to the possession of a knife as well as illegal entry into Israel without any permit or entry visa”.

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“We hoped not to reach this point, but unfortunately, the Israeli police and prosecutors insisted on putting pressure on the detainees in order to create accusations which the two detainees completely reject.”

The indictments are due to be submitted to the court tomorrow, the lawyer said, “then we can study the file more”, he continued.

In mid-May the two Jordanians were arrested after they crossed into Israel following demonstrations in Jordan near the Israeli borders to protest against the occupation’s aggression and forced displacement of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip, and occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank.