>> Murder trial of Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade stabber opens
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Accusé d’avoir poignardé six personnes lors de la marche des fiertés en juillet dernier, tuant une adolescente et blessant cinq autres participants, le procès d’Yishai Schlissel s’est ouvert ce dimanche à Jérusalem.
Après avoir planifié l’attaque, Schlissel s’était glissé dans le cortège puis commencé à poignarder des passants au hasard, visant intentionnellement le haut du corps de ses victimes, avant qu’un policier n’ait pu l’interpeller.
Farouchement opposé à la parade, car elle « contredit sa compréhension de la loi de la Torah », l’homme venait pourtant d’être libéré de prison quelques semaines seulement avant cette nouvelle attaque, après avoir purgé 10 ans pour un crime quasi-identique à la Gay Pride en 2005. Une enquête interne avait conclut à des manquements de la police israélienne, notamment en matière de renseignement.
L’un des témoins du carnage, Eran Tzidkiyahu a déclaré devant la Cour que si l’individu n’avait pas été Haredi (un ultra-orthodoxe), il aurait probablement été abattu sur place dès que la sécurité a remarqué son couteau. Comme ce fut d’ailleurs le cas « un mois et demi plus tard, pour toutes les autres personnes qui brandissaient un couteau dans la ville, même si elles ne représentaient pas particulièrement de danger pour la population » a ajouté Tzidkiyahu.
Dans sa déclaration d’ouverture, l’avocat de la défense, Zecharyah Shinkolovsk, commis d’office malgré les réticences de l’accusé, a tenté de démonter « la préméditation », affirmant que son client n’avait pas l’intention d’assassiner qui que ce soit. Il voulait juste faire du mal ?
Jugé psychologiquement apte à subir un procès, Yishai Schlissel n’a pas non plus démenti l’acte d’accusation en septembre, si ce n’est refusé de reconnaître l’autorité de la Cour, a rappelé pour sa part l’avocat de l’accusation. « Vous n’avez pas le pouvoir de me juger » avait déclaré l’accusé. Lorsque le tribunal lui a encore demandé de se lever, il a de nouveau refusé en déclarant qu’il « n’y tenait pas. »
Valentine Monceau
stophomophobie.org
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>> The trial for murder and six counts of attempted murder of Yishai Schlissel, who stabbed participants in the July Gay Pride Parade in the capital, on Sunday opened in the Jerusalem District Court.
The stabbings horrified the country, garnered across-the-board condemnation from Israeli society, including from Orthodox religious figures, and drew international attention due to the ferocity of the attack and the footage that emerged of it.
Schlissel, who was previously imprisoned for 10 years for stabbing three people at the 2005 Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade, was arrested during the stabbing rampage, just weeks after being released from jail.
He allegedly killed 16-year-old Shira Banki and wounded six others, who were named as Yarden Noy, Kfir Gil, Noam Eyal, Yael Belkin, Sagiv Satkolshtick and Sheli Bar Niv.
The prosecution’s first witness against Schlissel, Eran Tzidkiyahu testified about having witnessed Schlissel’s carnage and stated that if he had not been Haredi, he would have been shot on the spot as soon as security noticed he was holding a knife.
Tzidkiyahu said, « a month and a half later, every person who unsheathes a knife, they shoot him even after he ceases to present a threat to civilians. »
In his opening statement, Schlissels’ lawyer, Public Defender Zecharyah Shinkolovsk, tried to argue that he had not intended to murder the people he attacked even if he might have intended to harm them on some lesser level.
Prosecution lawyer Oshrat Shoham disputed this argument, noting that Schlissel has not given a detailed written denial to the indictment and that they would call witnesses showing that the fashion in which Schlissel attacked was violent and with intent to murder.
At the arraignment in September, Schlissel continued a position of refusing to recognize the court’s authority, stating “God, the creator of the world, did not give you authority to judge me, and so I am not interested in asking questions or responding to them.”
When the court asked him to stand – as is customary when addressing the court – he refused, and stated, “I am not interested in getting up.”
Despite Schlissel’s continued refusal to agree to have the Public Defender’s Office represent him, or to accept any legal representation, the court in September ordered the public defender present to continue to speak for him in court.
Schlissel has refused legal representation since he considers that it would be an acknowledgment of the validity of the court proceedings against him.
The indictment stated that leading up to the parade, Schlissel had called on ultra-Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem and Modi’in Illit to take action against it, and that on the day of the parade he purchased a 15 cm.-long kitchen knife for the purpose of stabbing participants.
Schlissel’s first attempt at infiltrating the parade was stopped by police. He manged to gain entry and launch the attack by joining it from a different street.
