The Association for Civil Rights (ACRI) in Israel sent a letter on 25 August 2014 to Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino regarding the use of ski masks by police forces during arrests in occupied East Jerusalem. The letter, sent by ACRI Attorney Yusef Karram, requested that the Police Commissioner conduct an immediate review of the frequent use of ski masks by police forces during arrests.

A Palestinian arrested in East Jerusalem, December 2013, by masked police officers (Photo: Activestills)

During the last two months, since the kidnapping and murder of 16-year old Mohammed Abu Khdeir on July 2nd, police forces have arrested more than 700 Palestinian East Jerusalem residents, including 166 minors. According to testimonies collected by ACRI, dozens of masked police officers, wearing no visible identification, have been arresting Palestinian residents in various neighborhoods of East Jerusalem. Police regulations stipulate that, subject to extraordinary circumstances, police officers must have their faces uncovered, wear name tags on their uniforms, and clearly identify themselves before executing an arrest. Attorney Karram said: “We are asking the national police chief to intervene and ensure that the widespread use of ski masks during arrests comes to an end. The law clearly instructs that except under specific and unusual circumstances, police personal must be identifiable at all times as a measure to protect both civilians and the police forces themselves. Without faces and names, policemen are simply a group of unidentified, unknown gunmen barging into homes in the middle of the night – a practice characteristic of tyrannical regimes.”

Related:

http://www.acri.org.il/en/2014/07/16/ej-police-violence/

http://www.acri.org.il/en/2014/08/24/ej-ski-masks/