7 cops to be charged for allegedly branding Palestinian with Star of David
Officers to be charged with abuse and assault over 2023 incident in East Jerusalem, as well as possibly for deleting footage of altercation during arrest
The Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) said Tuesday that it had recently notified seven police officers that they would be charged in a 2023 incident in which a Star of David was allegedly branded on the face of an East Jerusalem resident during his arrest.
According to a statement from DIPI, the seven cops were slated to be indicted on varying charges of abuse of a helpless person, aggravated assault, obstruction of investigative proceedings, and abuse of official power.
Not all seven officers were set to be charged with all of those offenses, and it was unclear what would be decided regarding nine other cops who also took part in the August 2023 arrest of 22-year-old Arwah Sheikh Ali.
In the incident, the East Jerusalem Palestinian claimed that police officers had beat him and branded his face with a Star of David while arresting him for suspected drug trafficking.
Ali filed an official complaint to the Justice Ministry’s DIPI several days after the arrest, which made headlines over its apparent brutal nature.
Arwah Sheikh Ali after his arrest, August 20, 2023. (Courtesy)
The Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) said Tuesday that it had recently notified seven police officers that they would be charged in a 2023 incident in which a Star of David was allegedly branded on the face of an East Jerusalem resident during his arrest.
According to a statement from DIPI, the seven cops were slated to be indicted on varying charges of abuse of a helpless person, aggravated assault, obstruction of investigative proceedings, and abuse of official power.
Not all seven officers were set to be charged with all of those offenses, and it was unclear what would be decided regarding nine other cops who also took part in the August 2023 arrest of 22-year-old Arwah Sheikh Ali.
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In the incident, the East Jerusalem Palestinian claimed that police officers had beat him and branded his face with a Star of David while arresting him for suspected drug trafficking.
Ali filed an official complaint to the Justice Ministry’s DIPI several days after the arrest, which made headlines over its apparent brutal nature.
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“A police officer put a taser to my head. I felt something hot on my face. These are not police — this is the mafia,” Ali, a resident of the Shuafat refugee camp, told the Ynet news site after filing the complaint.
Ali claimed the officers had covered his eyes and bound his hands and feet before branding his left cheek as they violently arrested him at home for suspected drug trafficking. He also told reporters his wife and kids were present.
https://www.timesofisrael.com/7-cops-to-be-charged-for-allegedly-branding-palestinian-with-star-of-david/