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Photo: Amit Shaevi
Prof. Shimon Shamir
Photo: Amit Shaevi

Or Commission member 'angry' at police

Prof. Shimon Shamir lashes out at police investigation into October, 2000 riots, says Israeli society needs special branch to investigate police. Shamir: 'impossible that 13 people were killed and no one will stand trial'

One day after the Police Investigation Unit closed its investigation into the October, 2000 riots in which 13 Israeli Arabs were killed, Professor Shimon Shamir – a member of the Or Commission that recommended indicting several officers – said he was "angry" at the police findings.

 

"This is an insufferable situation – 13 people were killed, and no one will stand trial for it," he said.

 

Speaking at a conference to mark two years since the Or Commission issued its findings, Shamir admitted that police investigators faced many obstacles in their research, but he said that questions remained.

 

"The police started investigating two years ago - three years after the events (of October, 2000. Why didn't they open an investigation immediately, when the memories were fresh and the footprints were still around?"

 

No convincing answers

 

"It's true the police were told to stop investigating when the Or Commission started to work. But it was several weeks until the Commission started working. I haven't heard any convincing answers from the police.

 

"The claim that it was too dangerous to get investigation crews into the area just doesn't hold up," he said.

 

Prof. Shamir also addressed the claim that families of the victims refused to cooperate with police investigators, saying the Or Commission contacted several families willing to testify.

 

Police claim that they could not start investigating the incident until a formal complaint had been filed, but Shamir rejected the claim.

 

"The Police Investigation Unit is authorized to collect evidence, and in the past has done just that," he said.

 


פרסום ראשון: 09.19.05, 22:56
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