Tom Hurndalls family launches Israeli supreme court appeal
BBC | 24.03.2004 11:13 | World
Activist's family launches appeal
The family has yet to see the full report into Tom's death
The family of a peace activist shot dead in the Gaza Strip last year are taking an appeal to the Israeli supreme court.
They are demanding evidence in the military police's investigation be released, as originally promised.
Tom Hurndall, 22, of north London, died in January. He had been in a coma for 10 months after he was shot in the head at a Palestinian refugee camp.
An Israeli soldier has been charged with manslaughter.
Israeli police have been carrying out an investigation into Mr Hurndall's death.
'Crucial questions'
Tom's mother Jocelyn said the family had been denied access to the full version of the report, containing vital transcripts of soldiers' interviews.
"There are crucial questions which need to be answered and we can only answer these by having full and open access," she told the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.
There has been a catalogue of covering up since the moment we set foot in Israel
Jocelyn Hurndall
She said Israeli soldiers involved in the incident claim the sergeant who shot Tom is being made a scapegoat and was simply following orders.
Under Israeli law they have a right to the full report.
"There has been a catalogue of covering up since the moment we set foot in Israel, this is unacceptable to us," she added.
High-profile campaign
"The refusal to provide it is in flagrant contradiction to the assurances of openness, transparency and cooperation given to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and Baroness Symons by numerous senior Israeli officials."
The Hurndall family have instructed their lawyers to take the appeal to the Israeli supreme court.
The move is the latest stage in their high-profile campaign to bring those responsible for Tom's death to justice.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3559917.stm
The family has yet to see the full report into Tom's death
The family of a peace activist shot dead in the Gaza Strip last year are taking an appeal to the Israeli supreme court.
They are demanding evidence in the military police's investigation be released, as originally promised.
Tom Hurndall, 22, of north London, died in January. He had been in a coma for 10 months after he was shot in the head at a Palestinian refugee camp.
An Israeli soldier has been charged with manslaughter.
Israeli police have been carrying out an investigation into Mr Hurndall's death.
'Crucial questions'
Tom's mother Jocelyn said the family had been denied access to the full version of the report, containing vital transcripts of soldiers' interviews.
"There are crucial questions which need to be answered and we can only answer these by having full and open access," she told the BBC Radio 4's Today Programme.
There has been a catalogue of covering up since the moment we set foot in Israel
Jocelyn Hurndall
She said Israeli soldiers involved in the incident claim the sergeant who shot Tom is being made a scapegoat and was simply following orders.
Under Israeli law they have a right to the full report.
"There has been a catalogue of covering up since the moment we set foot in Israel, this is unacceptable to us," she added.
High-profile campaign
"The refusal to provide it is in flagrant contradiction to the assurances of openness, transparency and cooperation given to Tony Blair, Jack Straw and Baroness Symons by numerous senior Israeli officials."
The Hurndall family have instructed their lawyers to take the appeal to the Israeli supreme court.
The move is the latest stage in their high-profile campaign to bring those responsible for Tom's death to justice.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/3559917.stm
BBC