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Israeli court postpones ruling on Ahmad Manasra's isolation

"Ahmed is not ill due to his own psychologic difficulties, rather it is because of the trauma he has been going through since his arrest. Isolating him will only increase that effect," said Khaled Zabarqah, Ahmed's lawyer.
4 min read
West Bank
21 July, 2022
Manasra has been held in isolation at the Ramleh prison clinic's psychiatric section for over a month. [Getty]

Israeli court, at a hearing on Wednesday, postponed its final ruling on ending the solitary confinement of .

Manasra, arrested in 2015 at 13 years old, was diagnosed with psychological damage due to his detention conditions and growing up in prison.

at the Ramleh prison clinic's psychiatric section for more than a month.

His lawyer, Khaled Zabarqah, filed a request to return Manasra to the collective detention facilities with other inmates.

"The Israeli prison service claims that Ahmed is a danger to his own safety and that he must remain under the direct supervision of the prison medical staff, isolated," Zabarqah told °®Âþµº.

"We filed the request to end his confinement based on the argument that his isolation harms his condition even further," said Zabrqah. "Ahmed is not ill due to his own psychologic difficulties, since his arrest. Isolating him will only increase that effect."

"What Ahmed needs is not isolation, but immediate release, return to his family environment and specialized treatment," he added. "The court decided to give two additional weeks to study the case, before a final ruling."

Yoaad Ghanadry, head of the Palestinian Mental Health Network, who follows Manasra's case, previously told °®Âþµº that he ", including a severe blow on his head and delay of medical attention."

"Ahmed's condition is aggravated by the fact he grew up with these traumas as a child into adulthood, in harsh detention conditions, including repeated solitary confinement," said Ghanadry.

Manasra was arrested in 2015 in Jerusalem after his 17-year-old cousin was shot dead by the Israeli police. Charged with assisting his cousin in an attempt to stab an Israeli, he .

after his arrest in October 2015, Manasra said that he was chased down and run over by an Israeli police vehicle.

According to the affidavit, Manasra said that when he tried to escape, he was attacked by Israeli settlers who beat him repeatedly on his head with a club. , Manasra is shown lying on the ground, bleeding from his head, surrounded by Israelis who hurled insults at him.

In April, M based on his psychological condition and the fact that he had served more than two-thirds of the sentence.

The Israeli court transferred the case to a special committee to decide whether to drop "terrorist" charges in his case, given his age at the time of the events and the fact that he was never charged with stabbing.

, and his early release was refused. His lawyer said that he and his team are preparing to appeal the decision soon.

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