The police cannot demand that Ethiopian -Israelis produce identification cards without a reasonable suspicion, the High Court of Justice ruled Monday night. All three justices, High Court President Esther Hayut, Vice President Neal Hendel and Alex Stein, disapproved of the existing police policy of aggressively demanding identification from Ethiopians, even when there is no concrete criminal suspicion. They said the Palmor Committee took the position that any special law-enforcement measures by police should have clear, neutral and mandatory criteria that would avoid abuse. In response to the ruling, Tebeka CEO Tomer Marsha said: “We are very pleased that the High Court accepted our view on the identification issue. “We filed the petition because of the violation of human rights.”The High Court ruling would help protect both Ethiopians’ rights and other sectors’ rights, Marsha said.

Source: Ethiopian News January 26, 2021 16:09 UTC