Palestinian mother slams son's killers' sentence as 'pathetic'
Mother of 17-year-old who was kidnapped, killed by Border Guard officers in 2002 says murderers should have been sentenced to life in prison. 'Only God can make up for my son's death,' she says
"The sentences handed down to my son's murderers are pathetic," the mother of the Palestinian teen who was killed by Border Guard officers about seven years ago.
Seventeen-year-old Amran Abu Hamadya was kidnapped by four Border Guard officers in Hebron in December of 2002. According to the indictment, they dragged him into their jeep, beat him and eventually threw him out of the car at high speed.
Officer Shahar Butbika, who was convicted of kidnapping and killing the youth, was sentenced by the Jerusalem District Court to eight and a half years in prison. Fellow officer Dennis Alhazov, who documented the incident and was convicted of similar offenses, was sentenced to five and a half years in jail.
Zainev Abu Hamadya with her children (Photo: Samich Shahin)
Officers Yanai Lalza and Bassam Wahbee were also convicted for their involvement in the incidents, with the court sentencing Lalza to six and a half months in prison and Wahabee to four and a half years.
The mother, Zainev Abu Hamadya (45), said that not a day goes by when she doesn’t think of her son. "He is with me every second of the day, and not only when the trial is being discussed," she said.
Zainev, whose husband died of an illness just a month before Amran was killed, said "only God can make up for my son's death, and only those who have experienced grief know what I mean.
"The mothers of prisoners suffer, but at least they know that their children will return home a year or 10 years from now. But me – I have nothing to look forward to," she said.
Zainev cast harsh criticism at Israel's justice system over what she referred to as the "light" sentences handed down to the Border Guard officers, and said that had her son killed an Israeli settler or officer "he surely would have gotten a life sentence".
"The officers should have been sentenced according to the same standard, but because they are Jews everything is backwards. Everything goes in favor of the killers; and the victim? He has no rights," she said.
