Policemen Who Brutally Beat Chaim Mizrachi Indicted

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The Department for Police Internal Investigations submitted to the Jerusalem Magistrates Court an indictment against detectives Shai Ezra Eliyahu and Yotam Gargir, who attacked chareidi youth Chaim Mizrachi in Geula last January, causing him severe physical and psychological damage. Additionally, the detective was charged with obstructing justice by writing a false report of the incident.

The indictment states that during the month of January a demonstration by the chareidi community took place in Geula in Jerusalem. At the same time, adjacent to the demonstrators, Mizrachi left the store where he was working and stood on the pavement nearby. A police van with plainclothes policemen arrived, driven by a police officer with a policewoman next to him. The two were dressed in civilian clothes and had no sign of being policemen on duty. Due to a traffic jam at the scene, the police officer overtook and hit another car in traffic.

Chaim, who was standing at the scene and saw the collision, went up to the officer and told him that he had hit a car. The officer got out the car, said that he was going to return to the place and “its a police car”. He pushed Chaim backwards and got back in the car. Chaim left the scene while complaining about the behavior of the policeman. The policeman stopped his car, got out and started acting violently towards Chaim, holding him in stranglehold and punching him in order to “teach him a lesson.”

Other policemen noted what was happening among them a plainclothes detective who helped the police officer place Chaim in the back of the van. While he was lying on his stomach on the back seat, an officer sat on his lower back, despite the fact that he was handcuffed. During the course of the ride, the police officer continued to hit him on the back of the head, despite Chaim’s protestations that he had done nothing. Even in the police station, while taking him to the cell, the policeman hit him on the back.

On the basis of the report of the plainclothes policemen, which was partially false, Chaim was interrogated at the police station and even kept overnight in custody. When he was brought before a judge the next day, the judge ordered his immediate release. As a result of the police behavior, Chaim suffered sharp pains and required hospital treatment. In hospital he lost consciousness and was treated there. He also required psychological assistance due to severe trauma suffered as a result of the police behavior towards him.

The indictment is charging the officer with violent assault and the plainclothes policeman with obstruction of justice.