The Ofir Military Court adjourns my son, Abdul-Khaliq's, 'hearing' until 11 February. I attended the 'hearing' today, fifty days after my son's abduction, and it was a long day of deliberate humiliations and insults. My wife and I went through several gates and numerous humiliating body searches, and then we arrived at a yard where the detainees' families wait to attend their children's 'hearings'. After two hours of waiting, we entered the 'court', and what a court it is! A ...court filled with soldiers wearing military uniforms and a child in a cage, his feet in chains, wearing a brown uniform and a broad smile. A smile that says, I am strong! A smile to greet his mother and father in an atmosphere filled with animosity and hatred. One of the soldiers told us to sit in an area reserved for families of the detainees and not to speak. Another soldier was ordered to recite the 'charges' against Abdul-Khaliq. He started to read, his eyes filled with mendacity and malevolence: Stone-throwing using a slingshot, nine times; causing severe damage to the Wall; Presenting a threat to a 'security area'; Costing the State huge amounts in damages, along with numerous other charges. Judge, prosecutor, and guards are all soldiers in uniform. I never felt that I was in a courthouse; rather, it was the scene of a great injustice, a part of the Zionist Occupation. After reading out the 'charges', the judge in military uniform spoke up to declare that the 'hearing' would be adjourned until Sunday, 11 February 2018.
Robert Inlakesh
#FreeAbdulKhaliq_Burnat