A Qalqilya couple was indicted Tuesday for locking up the man's daughter in their house for nine years as well as abusing her, isolating her and encouraging her to commit suicide.
Earlier this month, the two were arrested by Palestinian police, who turned them over to Israeli police. They are charged with abusing a minor, false imprisonment and soliciting suicide.
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The victim was 11-years-old when her father decided to prevent her from going to school and isolated her from all society, including her mother and other family members. He locked her up in a bathroom and other rooms in their house where she slept on a blanket. She was only allowed to leave her "cage" to do house work such as cleaning and cooking. The two would open the bathroom only after midnight.
- The indictment states that the father hit his daughter and caused her contusions at the instigation of his partner.
Father's partner in court (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
When the family had moved to Qalqilya, the father sealed one of the rooms in order to fully isolate his daughter. The family moved several houses over the years and the abuse continued uninterrupted. At one point the father threatened to murder his daughter if she would try to escape and told her that he would dispose of her body should she try to commit suicide.
- The indictment further suggests that the father's partner would urge him to leave a razor blade in the shower so the girl could kill herself. She would then ask him when he finished his shower whether the girl was still alive.
Victim spent nine years locked up (Photo: AP)
The woman also urged the father to hit and humiliate his daughter. He would slam his daughter's head on the bathroom sink with a stick and put out cigarettes on her body.
- The State Prosecutor's Office is claiming that the couple admitted that the victim had been locked up and that it holds evidence supporting the case. It was also claimed that the woman's family are trying to obstruct justice by convincing the victim to drop charges in exchange for money.
The woman was sent for a psychiatric evaluation at her attorney's request.