PM Netanyahu Confronted by Wife of Jewish Prisoner

Shahar Butbika, who when he was a border policeman in 2002 killed a 17-year-old Palestinian by throwing him off a jeep in Hebron, was sentenced in 2009 to eight-and-a-half years in prison. His friend and fellow policeman, Dennis al-Hazub, who documented the case, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail. They were both convicted of manslaughter, kidnapping, abuse of power, assault leading to injury and obstruction of justice.

In the December 2002, border policemen detained Imran Abu Hamdia, ordered him to enter their jeep, beat him on the head, and then shoved him out of the moving vehicle. The entire incident was videotaped by one of the officers in the jeep, court documents released on Thursday said. However, the tape was subsequently destroyed.

According to the judge who sentenced him, Butbika was the dominant felon in the affair and significantly contributed to the youth's death, but his mental situation was not good and he had been diagnosed as suffering from a mental crisis since he was released from detention in January 2004.

Ora, mother of Shahar Butbika, who was at a demonstration last week demanding Jewish prisoners who killed Arabs be pardoned, says her son committed the crime after his friends were murdered and he was sent to clear the body parts.

"He suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder," she said. "If they free terrorists who murdered children, the people who committed the Ramallah lynch, then why not my son?"