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Israeli soldier jailed, relieved of duties
Israel's military on Sunday sentenced a soldier to 14 days in jail for stopping a Palestinian woman in labor from passing through a checkpoint, where she eventually gave birth to a stillborn baby. The soldier, a squad commander, had been in charge at the army's Huwwara checkpoint in the occupied West Bank, and prevented the woman and her husband from crossing in their car to the Palestinian city of Nablus on Sept. 4.In its statement, the military said the woman was in labor on reaching the checkpoint but the couple did not have an entry permit for the vehicle. Army regulations say exceptions should be made in urgent, humanitarian cases. "The incident is one that could have been prevented," a military statement said. The woman's husband called an ambulance, which arrived about 30 minutes later, and she gave birth to a premature, stillborn baby while still at the checkpoint. In addition to the 14-day term in military prison, the soldier was relieved of his command duties, the statement said. Human rights groups have long complained the army rarely prosecutes soldiers who abuse Palestinians and metes out lenient sentences when it does so. Posted by: Fred 2008-09-15 |
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