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Ahed Tamimi Denied a Public Trial

Ahed Tamimi Denied a Public Trial

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

Just societies honor individuals like 17-year-old Ahed. Rogue state Israel wants her imprisoned, her redoubtable voice silenced.

She committed no crimes. Her courageous spirit, integrity, honor and activism are on trial - a politically motivated sham proceeding.

Israel declared her guilty by accusation. Military tribunal prosecution assures conviction and imprisonment.

Illegally detained since December, Israel wants her put away longterm.

A military appeals court rejected her lawyer's appeal for a public trial - despite no objection to one by Israeli prosecutors.

In denying her appeal, military appeals court Colonel Netanel Benishu issued the following statement, saying:

"The appellant was identified by name when the documentation of the acts that led to her arrest were publicized, and after this her detention was documented and publicized widely by security officials."

"One cannot deny the exceptional public interest that accompanies the appellant's judicial proceedings."

"The accumulated experience over the eight years that the juvenile military court has existed has taught us that giving the minor and his family a real chance to make their arguments in an intimate framework of proceedings that aren't open to the general public is a basic component of conducting fair and just proceedings." 

"()he judicial process in the military courts isn't any different than the process before a civilian court."

"(E)ven if the process before a military juvenile court is slightly different than before a civilian court, I also agree that closing the proceedings in the case of minor defendants must be the rule and it usually expresses the best interests of the minor."

Fact: It's in the best interests of all defendants in judicial proceedings to hold public trials - especially in Israeli kangaroo military courts, almost never exonerating Palestinians.

Fact: Their conviction rate is 99.74%, a shocking perversion of justice - largely ignored by the world community, giving Israel license to do what it pleases.

Fact: Once charged, innocence is no defense, guilt virtually always as charged - the way all police states operate.

Ahed's lawyer Gaby Lasky blasted the court's ruling to try her "in the dark," adding:

"Public exposure is the only defense at the disposal of Ahed, and it is clear that without it, in a secret trial, she cannot receive a fair trial."

Since Ahed's illegal arrest and detention, her remand was extended throughout trial proceedings to keep her incommunicado, wanting her powerful voice silenced.

Lasky is appealing the latest ruling. Closed-door proceedings conceal how Palestinians are unjustly treated and convicted - especially in high-profile cases like Ahed's.

Lasky said Israel understands the worldwide interest in her case. They know "her rights are being infringed on, and her trial is something that shouldn't be happening."

"So the way to keep it out of everybody's eyes is to close doors and not allow people inside the court for her" trial.

Earlier, the Addameer Prisoner Support and Human Rights Association said "the continuing presence of international and Israeli human rights activists at any court hearing for Palestinian political prisoners has been vital as a way of publicly exposing the extreme inadequacies and injustice of the military court."

"The greater and more regular presence of these diplomats and activists, the more hope there is among the detainees that their voices are being heard and amplified beyond the confines of the military courtroom."

It's why Israel wants its dirty work conducted out of public view. Ahed's persecution symbolizes decades of Israeli ruthlessness against Palestinians - a Ziofascist police state masquerading as democratic.

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My newest book as editor and contributor is titled "Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III."

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