Policemen in E. Jerusalem
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Palestinian dies in custody; family claims police brutality
Police deny claims that East Jerusalem was beaten to death following arrest. Ambulance doctor says no evidence of violence
Wa'al Qaraawi from West Jerusalem who was arrested for transporting an illegal resident, died in police custody. His family accused the police of beating him to death, while police reported that the man, after stating he felt unwell, collapsed and died.
Qaraawi was detained after being discovered transporting a Jordanian woman in Israel without a permit. According to police, "He was told to drive to the police station on Salah al-Din Street. When he arrived, there he felt ill.
"An ambulance was summoned but he collapsed. The medical staff tried to revive him using CPR, but unfortunately he died."
The uncle of the deceased, Jamal Qaraawi, said that the family heard from local residents that four police officers hit him in his chest with their guns. Another Palestinian witness, however, said that Qaraawi had not been beaten.
The emergency doctor who arrived at the scene said that there were no signs of violence on his body. The police unit investigating the claim released a preliminary report saying that there had been no physical contact between the Palestinian and the police officers.
Qaraawi's body will be transferred for an autopsy at the forensic medicine institute. The family demanded that a pathologist of their choosing attend the autopsy.
"If the Israelis want justice, they must enable us to have our own pathologist," Qaraawi's uncle said. Ynet has discovered that the family is still not in agreement about having the body autopsied.
Efrat Weiss contributed to the report
