A Border Guard officer who was convicted of killing a Palestinian teen after throwing him off a moving military vehicle in Hebron in 2002 was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison on Monday by the Jerusalem District Court.
The officer, Yanai Lalza, together with three other policemen at the Border Guard's company serving in Hebron, recorded themselves on video abusing 17-year-old Amran Abu Hamadiya before pushing him to his death.
According to the indictment served against the four, in December 2002 they forced Abu Hamadiya onto their jeep while patrolling the West Bank town, beat him severely and then threw him out of the vehicle while it was moving at high speed. The teen died instantly.
Following the incident the officers' company was disbanded and its commander and former commander were dismissed.
Justice Orit Efal Gabai refrained from handing down a tougher sentence due to Lalza's family's dire financial situation and the fact that his father suffers from depression and other mental problems.
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