Four police officers from the Beersheba station suspected of involvement in the beating of an Arab Israeli public prosecutor have been summoned to a pre-indictment hearing, the Department of Internal Police Investigations says.
The announcement comes two months after officers were filmed entering the Beersheba home of Saleh Na’ameh, a lawyer for the Southern District Attorney’s Office, over an apparent noise complaint and proceeding to beat him without provocation.
The DIPI, whose investigators launched an investigation into the incident, says two of the officers are expected to stand trial on charges of assault and causing serious injury.
The agency is also weighing charges against the pair of suspected assailants and one other officer for allegedly attempting to obstruct the investigation.
The pending charges are subject to a hearing in which officers are being given a chance to defend their position and dissuade prosecutors from filing a formal indictment.
The assault left Na’ameh with serious injuries, including a broken nose. Police claim that Na’ameh resisted arrest before he was attacked; however, footage from the incident seemed to contradict their version, showing that the lawyer hadn’t laid a hand on officers before they pounced on him and started beating him.
Israel: 4 police officers suspected of beating Arab lawyer summoned to pre-indictment hearing
