A Jerusalem resident arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of concealing a birth following his wife's miscarriage at 11 weeks of pregnancy has alleged that police officers used severe violence against him during his arrest, despite saying he made efforts to arrange the burial of the pregnancy remains in good faith.
His attorney has called on the Police Internal Investigations Department (PIID) to investigate the officers involved in the arrest.
According to details of the incident, the man's wife suffered a miscarriage while at home during the 11th week of her pregnancy.
The husband, who was experiencing severe emotional distress alongside his wife following the incident, took her to the hospital to receive medical treatment. At the same time, he sought to determine how the pregnancy remains could be brought for burial.
He said he contacted various officials at Shaare Zedek Medical Center and asked for instructions on how to proceed, but was repeatedly referred from one place to another.
After receiving instructions, he went to the location he had been directed to and left a bag containing the pregnancy remains there, reportedly believing he was acting in accordance with the instructions he had received and that the burial arrangements would be handled.
However, instead of bringing the difficult family ordeal to a close, he found himself detained and subsequently arrested on suspicion of concealing a birth.
According to the man, he explained the sequence of events to police officers and presented documentation and evidence showing that he had contacted various officials and attempted to arrange the burial.
Nevertheless, he claims the officers were not satisfied with his explanations and subjected him to severe violence during the arrest.
People close to the man said he was a law-abiding individual with no criminal record who had found himself in a traumatic situation and had tried to care for his wife while ensuring that the pregnancy remains were treated with dignity.
They argued that police could have conducted simple checks, including reviewing the documentation he had presented and examining security camera footage, before deciding to arrest him.
Ultimately, after he presented evidence supporting his account, police released the suspect at the station.
His attorney is now seeking an examination not only of the circumstances surrounding the arrest but also of his allegations of police violence and the conduct of the various parties involved in the case.
Attorney calls for investigation into police conduct
"This is a law-abiding man with no criminal record whose wife suffered a miscarriage in the early weeks of her pregnancy. He took his wife to the hospital so she could receive medical treatment and worked to arrange the burial of the fetus through the hospital. While he and his wife were in a state of severe emotional distress following the trauma, he was arrested, with police officers using severe violence against him," Rita Tahori of the Public Defender's Office said.
"He presented the police officers with evidence supporting his account, and fortunately, he was released at the station. The conduct of the hospital and the police is puzzling. They could have exercised discretion and conducted preliminary checks before arresting a man at one of the most difficult moments of his life, after his wife had suffered a miscarriage. We expect the Police Internal Investigations Department to investigate his complaint regarding the violence used by the officers during the arrest," she added.