Suspect in threats against deputy president of Northern Magistrate's Courts: Detention of Safed resident extended for second time
The Acre Magistrate's Court extended for a second time, until tomorrow, the detention of Avi (Avraham) Avukrat, 41, from Safed, suspected of threatening Judge Donya Nassar, deputy president of the Northern District Magistrate's Courts. The proceedings were moved from Nof HaGalil-Nazareth to Acre because the complainant is a judge in the district. Police allege repeated threats, including statements like "You'd better order the return of the exhibits or you'll find yourself in serious trouble." Avukrat denies the threats, and his defense attorney claims they were expressions of frustration. Judge Jada Bassoul found reasonable suspicion and extended the detention by one day.
The Acre Magistrate's Court today (Sunday) extended for a second time, until tomorrow, the detention of Avi (Avraham) Avukrat, 41, from Safed, suspected of threatening Judge Donya Nassar, deputy president of the Northern District Magistrate's Courts and a former senior police officer. According to the suspicion, he did not limit himself to threats included in requests he filed with the court, but added statements during a hearing before her. Due to the fact that the complainant is a judge serving in the Northern District, the President of the Supreme Court, Judge Yitzhak Amit, ordered the transfer of the proceedings from the Nof HaGalil-Nazareth Magistrate's Court to the Acre Magistrate's Court, for reasons of "the appearance of justice." In today's hearing, police representative, Chief Inspector Amal Badr, argued that Avukrat "blatantly tramples on repeated court decisions and continues his threats," and that there were several threats of "consequences" directed at the judge during June and late July, through four different messages filed with the court file. Among the statements attributed to him: "You'd better order the return of the exhibits or you'll find yourself in serious trouble" and "I will cause you insane discomfort." It was also alleged that he called the judge "of impaired judicial capacity" and "stupid." Police claim there is also an additional "explicit threat," whose full content was presented to the court as part of the investigation material. Avukrat himself denied threatening the judge. "I made no threat," he told the court. According to him, all he tried to do was get back exhibits and investigation materials he needed to file an appeal. Attorney Naji Amar, who represented him on behalf of the Public Defender's Office, petitioned for his release. He argued that although the statements are inappropriate, they can also be interpreted as an expression of dissatisfaction with the legal handling, not necessarily as high-level threats. He emphasized that these were statements written as part of requests to the court, and that there is difficulty in the obstruction claim since the complainant is a judge and the witnesses are members of the judicial system. He also wondered why, if the threats date from June, the complaint was filed only now. Judge Jada Bassoul, who reviewed the investigation file and the investigative actions still required, found that there is reasonable suspicion against Avukrat and that there is justification for continued detention to complete the investigation. Accordingly, she extended his detention for a second time, albeit by only one day. In the first urgent hearing at the Nof HaGalil-Nazareth Magistrate's Court, on Friday, Judge Yasmin Katili noted that Avukrat has a heavy criminal record, including offenses of threats and obstruction of legal proceedings. She was the one who immediately noted at the start of the hearing that since this is a suspicion of threats against a judge serving in the Northern District, the police would have to act to transfer the hearing to another district. She extended the detention by three days. Subsequently, at the Nof HaGalil-Nazareth District Court, Judge Hanna Sabbagh rejected the appeal filed by Avukrat, among other things due to his dangerousness. Defense attorney Naji Amar told Walla: "There is no dispute that one must act with reverence, restraint, and due respect towards the judicial system and those who sit in judgment." However, he clarified that "on the face of it, the things said - both those included in written responses and those said during hearings - were intended solely to reflect dissatisfaction and frustration with the way the proceedings were managed, and there was nothing in them to constitute a criminal offense of threats." Chairman of the Northern District of the Israel Bar Association, Attorney Shadi Srouji, told Walla: "From the material presented, a serious picture emerges of threats, offensive statements, and defamation directed at a judge in the course of her duties. Acts of this kind are not aimed only at the judge, but harm the entire judicial system, the rule of law, and public trust in its institutions."