Abu Rahmah is the brother of Bassem and Jawaher Abu Rahmah, both killed by the army while demonstrating peacefully in Bil'in.
Capt. Tzvi Frenkel, a military judge at the Ofer Military Court, ordered the indefinite extension of Ashraf Abu Rahmah's arrest, until the end of legal procedures against him. Abu Rahmah was arrested during a demonstration last Friday and indicted by the military prosecutor on Tuesday.
The indictment charges Abu Rahmah with participating in an unpermitted procession and throwing stones at soldiers, both based on testimonies by two soldiers, among them a battalion commander who claimed to have identified him from a distance of 150 meters.
The judge ordered the extension of Abu Rahmah's arrest despite extensive evidence brought up by the defense to dispute the charges. A B’Tselem employee and a lawyer who were present at the scene presented the court with two affidavits.
The depositions stated that Abu Rahmah did not, at any stage, partake in the stone-throwing. Video footage supporting the affidavits was also filed, showing Abu Rahmah's arrest. The video clearly depicts him walking peacefully toward the jeeps holding a flag, and the soldiers initially ignoring him.
Ashraf Abu Rahmah is brother to the two residents of Bil'in who were killed while participating in the village's demonstrations. His brother, Bassem, was shot dead during a peaceful demonstration on April 17, 2009. He was shot in the chest with a high-velocity tear-gas projectile aimed directly at him from a distance of about 40 meters.
Ashraf's sister, Jawaher, died of cardiac arrest caused by poisoning, as a result of inhaling massive amounts of tear-gas on Jan. 1, 2011.
Abu Rahmah himself was the subject of gross military misconduct, when shot in the foot by soldiers while bound and blindfolded at the entrance to the village of Ni'ilin on July 7, 2008. The event was caught by tape, and caused vast international outrage.
