Last update - 23:16 10/04/2006 Police brace for riots after Haredi charged with killing son By Yair Ettinger and Jonathan Lis, Haaretz Correspondents, and Haaretz Service Police in Jerusalem prepared for possible violent protests Monday, over their refusal to release a young ultra-Orthodox man charged with the killing of his three-month-old baby boy. The baby, who was admitted last week to hospital in Jerusalem, died Monday, a day after he was pronounced clinically dead, the apparent victim of severe abuse at the hands of his 19-year-old father, Yisrael Vales. Members of the ultra-Orthodox community have demanded Vales' release and threatened riots if he is kept in custody, despite the fact that he admitted to beating the child. The ultra-Orthodox "Kol Hai" radio station quoted sources as saying that "Jerusalem would burn," if Vales was not released Monday evening. Members of the ultra-Orthodox community have been disseminating flyers containing threats of rioting unless Vales is released by Passover eve. The community is convinced of Vales' innocence, despite his confession to having beaten his son. The flyers call for the community to "unite and protest against this blood libel" and declares the arrest to be an "evil conspiracy" devised by the "evil regime" against the "dear gentle young man." The baby was hospitalized at Hadassah University Hospital, Ein Karem, in serious condition, with brain hemorrhaging, edema, signs of violence and bites on his body. The baby's body will not undergo an autopsy. At first when interrogated by police, Vales denied he intended to harm his son. He claimed the baby fell from his arms while he was trying to calm him down and put him to bed. Vales was initially indicted at Jerusalem District Court on two counts of abuse and cause of serious injuries to his son. During his second questioning, Vales admitted he slammed the baby against a wall and had previously attacked him numerous times, because he "wouldn't let him sleep." He said he would beat his son with his fists, slap him and bite him on the neck. "When we visited the baby we saw he had bite marks on his neck and a black eye. He had many blue marks on his body, matching the father's descriptions of the violence," said Aliza Aroch, head of the Jerusalem Police Family Violence Team. Vales said one of the reasons for his violence was disgust he felt toward his son due to a physical defect in the child's neck muscles. Microbalrog sez: I have already commented about this right here Yes, they did riot for about two days.
