State Prosecutor's Office to close Abir Aramin case
SPO denies petition against Jerusalem District Court's decision in the case of 10-year old Aramin, allegedly killed by stray Border Guard rubber bullet in 2007; reiterates original ruling of undetermined cause of death. Rights group may appeal decision further
The State Prosecutor's Office announced Tuesday it was denying a petition filed by the Yesh Din human rights organization, regarding the Jerusalem District Court's July decision to close the investigation into the death of a Palestinian girl killed in January 2007.
Ten-year-old Abir Aramin of Anata, a village located on the outskirts of Jerusalem, was killed during a clash between Palestinians and Border Guard officers patrolling the refugee camp.
The Border Guards admitted to using crowd control measures, including rubber-coated bullets in the incident, but the investigation failed to determine whether Aramin's death was a result of the troop's fire, or whether she was hit by rocks hurled by the Palestinian rioters.
Yesh Din's petition claimed that the positions of the girl, Border Guards and rioters during the incident made it clear her injuries could not have been sustained by rocks; but in its summation, the State Prosecutor's Office said the girl could have been caught in the "stone barrage rained atop the Border Guards' vehicle as they were leaving the village."
The organization further claimed the SPO's conclusion was "preposterous", given the fact that "Aramin was rushed to hospital long before the troops left the village."
Closing the case under these pretenses, said the group, indicated "grave errors and a superficial examination of the facts and evidence."
Yesh Din has announced it will demand the State Prosecutor's Office explain its decision further, adding they may choose to appeal it through the proper judicial channels.
