Khaberni - The military occupation prosecution has recently presented a formal accusation against a first sergeant reservist in the army, accusing him of raping a colleague subordinate to his service during her shift in a watchtower in one of the areas in the occupied West Bank, in an incident described by the prosecution as a severe sexual assault despite the repeated objections of the victim.
According to the indictment filed last week at the military court, the incident occurred in November last year in the operational area in the West Bank when the soldier exploited his position in the watchtower, where he had transferred the victim that morning to perform her shift.
The indictment states that the suspect initially attempted to establish an unwanted relationship with her, starting by trying to kiss her despite her explicit refusal, then forcefully grabbed and strangled her for a while before committing forced sexual acts, describing the assault as crossing the boundaries of consent and leading to a complete rape crime.
After committing the assault, the accused left the watchtower and left the victim alone to complete her shift afterwards, prompting the relevant authorities to open a comprehensive investigation after suspicions arose about the nature of what occurred.
On their part, the defense attorneys stated that there are "serious problems with the evidence," and they believe that what occurred was a consensual relationship, contrary to what is stated in the indictment.
Conversely, the military prosecution emphasized that the evidence in the case documents is sufficient to confirm that the incident was a "serious rape," indicating that it will continue to pursue the case with determination.
