The Justice Ministry’s Department of Internal Police Investigations indicted five police officers on Thursday for throwing stun grenades at demonstrators during a protest against the government’s judicial overhaul last year.

The indictment accuses Meir Suissa, Raviv Birenbaum, Naor Nani Toledano, Matanel Hemo and Yehonatan Yemini of “negligence” that endangered civilians who did not pose a threat to police officers at that time of the demonstration on March 1, 2023.

“The great density of demonstrators, which included children and elderly people, and their constant movement, prevented the possibility of reasonably estimating where the grenades would land, in violation of police guidelines,” the indictment read, adding that the police officers had not first tried alternative lower-risk methods to disperse the crowd.

The indictment mentioned two women who were injured by the first grenade thrown by Suissa. One of the women, A.A., sustained multiple injuries to the face that left her with scars and PTSD. and the other, B.B., sought medical attention for persisting tinnitus.

Following the incident, a man identified as Dan Peled sustained an injury to his back while another, Shahar Mor, had his ear nearly severed and had to have it reattached.

A Channel 13 reporter, Roni Shchuchensky, was also wounded by one of the grenades.

Suissa’s lawyers, Moshe Alon and Diana Shomsky, told Channel 13 on Thursday that the Department of Internal Police Investigations (DIPI) had “once again given in to pressure from people with agendas and decided to submit a baseless indictment.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who oversees the police and who repeatedly called for a more aggressive police response to protests last year, also criticized the indictment, saying that the decision was “contaminated by political motives and pressure.”

“DIPI, under instructions from the attorney general and state attorney, continues to employ selective enforcement and protects law-breakers and road-blockers on one side of the political spectrum while trying to deter police officers from enforcing the law,” he said.

A total of 11 civilians sought medical attention following the protest in which the grenades were thrown, although it is unclear whether they were all wounded by the stun grenades.

Despite the controversy surrounding his conduct, Suissa was chosen in April last year to be awarded the Independence Day award for outstanding police work.

This last May he was promoted and appointed commander of the South Tel Aviv Police Station, a position he has not yet begun to fill.