Jaffa Military Court rules three troops won't be demoted from staff sergeants to privates, despite plea bargainhttp://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3551626,00.html<
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"The Jaffa Military Court on Tuesday sentenced three fighters of the Haruv Battalion to five and a half months in prison after convicting them of abusing two Palestinian detainees about four months ago.
The judges also ruled that despite a plea bargain, which stated that the three would be demoted from staff sergeants to privates, they would only be demoted to the rank of sergeant.
According to the judges, demoting the soldiers to the rank of private would be a heavy punishment, and in light of their service in the territories, they should maintain a commanding rank.
The three were convicted of attacking two 17-year-old Palestinians while watching over them at their base in the settlement of Shavei Shomron. They beat them while they were handcuffed and they eyes were covered, cursed them, forced them to say words in Hebrew, and at one point even attached a heat conductor to one of the youths' face."