Prosecute IOF Abuse in Ni'lin Village

On July 7, 2008 Ashraf Abu Rahma, a 27 year old Palestinian man, was detained by IOF (Israeli Occupation Forces) soldiers in the village of Nilin.

Ashraf Abu Rahma was handcuffed, blindfolded, beaten, and eventually shot at close range by a rubber coated steel bullet fired by an IOF soldier. The event was documented by a 14 year old girl who captured this human rights abuse on video from the window of her home. The video shows that Ashraf Abu Rahma was handcuffed and blindfolded when he was shot, and clearly identifies the face of the soldier who shot him. Residents of Nilin have since seen this soldier, who continued to serve his unit in Nilin. The shooting took place in the presence of a lieutenant colonel, who held Ashraf Abu Rahmas arm as the soldier deliberately fired the shot.

Human rights abuses against Palestinians by the IOF are not uncommon, but the Israeli military routinely suppresses information regarding their unlawful use of force. Due to the video footage showing Ashraf Abu Rahma being shot in the village of Ni'lin we are now armed with proof. The shooting of Ashraf Abu Rahma is consistent with the abuse that Palestinians suffer at the hands of the IOF, and consistent with the abuse that the people of Ni'lin suffer as they exercise their basic human right to protest against the construction of the illegal apartheid wall that is being built on their land.

The Nilin Popular Committee Against the Illegal Apartheid Wall will act against all human rights abuses that take place in the village of Nilin, and will use every available resource to insure that the atrocities committed against the people of Nilin and their local, regional, and international supporters are brought to justice.

We, the undersigned, stand in solidarity with the Nilin Popular Committee Against the Illegal Apartheid Wall to demand that IOF Prosecutor Avihai Mendelblit, Lieutenant General Rav-Aluf Gabi Ashkenazi, IOF Spokesman Avi Benayahu, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, and President Shimon Peres open an immediate and transparent investigation consistent with international standards into the shooting of Ashraf Abu Rahma, and we demand that the soldier, his lieutenant commander, and all others involved in this incident are brought to justice.

Under law, IOF security forces are obligated to report unlawful acts committed. However, the Israeli military had failed to disclose the abuse of Ashraf Abu Rahma for nearly two weeks, and attempted to suppress the realities of his detainment in Nilin until the video documenting the incident was released on July 20, 2008.

We, the undersigned, say never again will an act of this atrocity go unpunished in the village of Nilin. We, the undersigned, will continue to advocate for Ashraf Abu Rahma on an international level until the persons responsible for this grave human rights abuse are found guilty under the standards of the law.