Wadih Aziz Abu Ramouz وديع أبو رموز
16 years-old, from Silwan.
Design: Lahav Halevy
On January 25, at around 10 PM, Wadih was shot in the back. The bullet penetrated the abdominal cavity and caused massive bleeding and systemic damage. He was shot while he and his friends were throwing stones and shooting fireworks at police vehicles that were 30 meters away from them, on the main street of the Ein El Luza neighborhood. The policeman who shot him and another minor, was behind them, in an elevated position up the hill.
Wadih was arrested while critically injured, and rushed to Shaare Zedek Hospital. Cuffed to the bed by his hands and feet, while unconscious in intensive care.
The authorities refused to give the family any information about his whereabouts, so they looked in several hospitals before they realized that he might be in Shaare Zedek. Local staff member told them that someone in critical condition, matched the description they had given, was hospitalized. The police refused to let them visit him, so they stationed in the parking lot. A staff member "smuggled" an item of his clothing so that he would be identified.
In the afternoon of January 26, his lawyers obtained an order from the Supreme Court, allowing a visit. Wadih opened his eyes for a few seconds when his mother spoke to him, and touched her hand.
On January 27, More and more relatives joined the family in the hospital's parking lot. The police drove them away and injured one of them. At 21:30 the lawyers turned to the hospital, following rumors of his death. A security guard gave them the death certificate. He died a few hours earlier. No one bothered to inform the family. The body remained hostage in the hands of the occupation.
On January 28 Magav raided and destroyed the mourning tabernacle, broke chairs, and confiscated Palestinian flags and images of Wadih. They returned the following days and shot teargas at the mourners. The lawyers turned to the court. No Comment.
On May 30, his body was returned to the family. Not before they deposited 10,000 NIS as a guarantee that only 25 participants would attend the funeral and that he would be buried immediately, without singing, without pictures, without Palestinian flags. The police took the ID cards of the participants and photographed them.
Wadih's father was fired from his job at an ultra-orthodox institution the day after his death. The principal of the school he attended was taken into questioning because she published a post on Facebook criticizing the police for his death.
16 years old and there are restrictions on the burial and the mourning even.
Information source: Human Rights Watch.
Poster design: Lahav Halevy.
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