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ADALAH'S NEWSLETTER Volume 44, January 2008 | עברית Adalah: Mazuz’s Decision to Close October 2000 Investigation is Racist and Search Inflammatory

None of the police officers or commanders involved in the fatal shootings of Palestinian citizens of in October 2000 will face criminal indictment, the Attorney General of GO Israel, Menachem Mazuz, announced yesterday, Sunday, 27 January 2008. His announcement officially closes the case against police over the deaths and injuries of Newsletter Palestinian Arab citizens who demonstrated in towns and villages across Israel in October Subscription 2000 against the government’s oppressive policies towards Palestinians in the West Bank and . The police used snipers, live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse the unarmed demonstrators, which led to the thirteen deaths and to thousands of your email Go injuries.

Mazuz argued in his decision that there was a lack of sufficient evidence to issue criminal Press Releases indictments against the police officers and commanders. He further found that the police Background who shot the victims faced direct threats to their lives. This situation, he claimed, Legal Advocacy necessitated the use of operational judgment and negates criminal responsibility. Thus, even Int'l Advocacy if it could be proven that police officers fired the fatal bullets, it nevertheless could be Publications argued that the shootings were justified.

The Democratic Mazuz’s perception, as revealed in his decision, is that are enemies Constitution of the state, and as a result the police possess wide discretion to open fire on them. Further, according to the Mazuz, the police officers were facing a real and immediate threat to their Special Reports lives. These perceptions were sharply criticized by the Official Commission of Inquiry (Or Commission) into the October 2000 events, which issued in its final report in September 2003. In the report, the Or Commission recommended that the Israeli police stop relating to

the Arab citizens as enemies. In addition, the Or Commission’s clearly concluded that the The Jewish Nat'l use of snipers and the use of live ammunition by other police officers was illegal and that Fund the demonstrators posed no immediate and real threat to the lives of police officers. In Gaza Fuel and Adalah’s view, trust cannot be placed in the Attorney General, who continues to relate to Electricity Arab citizens as enemies. Family Unification October 2000 In response to the decision, Adalah stated its intention to seek international justice in these Killings cases. “We will not approach the Supreme Court in these cases. We have now exhausted all legal proceedings in Israel. We will seek the involvement of the United Nations and other UN Special international fora”, stated Attorney Hassan Jabareen, the General Director of Adalah, at a Consultative press conference held yesterday, the 27 January 2008, following the Attorney General’s Status, decision. The press conference was held jointly by the High-Follow up Committee for Arab ECOSOC Citizens of Israel, the Committee of the Victims’ Families and Adalah. Member, Euro - At the press conference, Mr. Shawqi Khatib, the Chairman of the High-Follow up Mediterranean Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel stated, “This is a black day for justice and human Human Rights rights and for the hopes of equality and respect between the peoples. Mazuz, with his Network deafness, has legitimized the killing and the result is that Arab blood flows freely.”

About Adalah Hassan Asleh, the father of Asel Asleh who was killed by police in October 2000 and the head of the Committee of the Victims’ Families, also spoke at the press conference. He read out the names of the thirteen Palestinian youths killed in October 2000 and those police Affiliations officers and commanders responsible for each of their deaths. He promised that the family Staff & Board members would continue in their struggle for justice. Donate Links Mazuz’s decision endorsed the report on police conduct during the events of October 2000 Newsletter released by Ministry of Justice’s Police Investigations Department (“Mahash”) in Subscription September 2005. In the report, Mahash announced its decision to close all the investigation files against police officers and commanders implicated in the October 2000 deaths on the

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pretext of lack of evidence. Jobs & Internships Events Following the release of Mahash’s report, and as a result of public pressure, the Attorney

General decided to conduct a review of the decision, and to this end appointed a special Contact Us investigatory committee within the State Attorney’s Office to review the files. At the time and today, Adalah argues that the decision to review Mahash’s report within the State Attorney’s Office lacked all integrity because the office is headed by current State Attorney Eran Shendar. Shendar was the Director of Mahash during October 2000 and bears direct Search responsibility for the failure to open an immediate investigation into the police officers and commanders responsible for the deaths.

GO In October 2006, Adalah submitted a comprehensive report entitled “The Accused” to the Attorney General, in which it addressed the shortcomings and failures of the law enforcement authorities – first and foremost Mahash – in investigating the October 2000 killings. The report primarily exposes Mahash’s negligent work and its failure to fulfill its duty to investigate the criminal offenses committed by police in October 2000. In addition, the report discloses how Mahash concealed significant facts from the public and issued a falsified report regarding the events. Mazuz’s decision included specific responses to “The Accused” report.

For more information, see a special web -report on the October 2000 Killings

http://www.adalah.org/newsletter/eng/jan08/2.php 03/12/2008