A court on Monday released an Eritrean mother of four after she was arrested by police during Eritrean riots in Netanya. The court's decision was made because the police had no evidence against her and because it was discovered that her children, aged one and a half, six, seven and nine, were left alone in the house for about 26 hours. "It makes our hearts churn at the thought that children have been left unsupervised and unsupervised for so many hours, without the police doing anything to ascertain their condition," Judge Oshrit Huber wrote in her decision.
The violence does not stop: Two injured in a fight between Eritreans in Netanya // Photo: Dan Asulin/Police Spokesperson's Office
The mother was arrested in the riot on suspicion of provocation, possession of assault weapons and disturbing public order. In her case, like nine other suspects, no secret report was filed and no action report was attached, which indicates the circumstances of her arrest and the reasonable suspicion in her case.
The suspect herself stated that she was present at the scene of the riot, returned home, heard what was happening and went back out to help her family. According to her, she held a stick in her hand that she had taken late in an attempt to dissuade him from resorting to violence.
Attorney Liad Yadin, who represented her, noted that there was nothing linking the suspect to an incident of brawl beyond her presence at the place where she gave an explanation. "This is a mother of four small children whom the police knowingly left alone unsupervised, did not allow her to contact them and did not report to welfare," Yadin argued.
Police forces at the scene, photo: Police Spokesperson's Office (Sharon)
Judge Hubert, who accepted the defense attorney's statement, noted in her decision that she had already expressed her displeasure with the conduct of the police and wrote in her decision that "the suspect's version was not concealed and no prima facie evidence was presented that could connect her to the events, beyond the statements given by her... Under these circumstances, the highest level of suspicion is at the lowest level," wrote the judge who ordered her release on self-bail and even refused the police's request to delay the execution of her decision.
"Since her arrest for about 26 hours, the suspect's children have been alone and there is no indication in the investigation file that anything was done by the police to clarify their condition and there was no contact with social services. It also appears from the suspect's statement that she asked to contact them by phone, but she was not allowed to do that either," the judge concluded.
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