Prime Minister Yair Lapid
Prime Minister’s Office
Kiryat Ben Gurion, Building C
Jerusalem 91950, Israel
Dear Prime Minister,
I am concerned for Ahmad Manasra, a 20-year-old Palestinian from East Jerusalem, who is held in Eshel Prison near Beersheba, in Southern Israel.
Evidence from Ahmad Manasra’s interrogation after his arrest in 2015 (aged 13 at the time, below the minimum age of criminal responsibility recommended by international law) shows he was subjected to ill treatment and interrogated without his lawyer or parent’s presence, in violation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child and international fair trial standards.
Ahmad Manasra suffers from serious mental health conditions. On 24 October 2021, he was diagnosed by an independent Israeli clinical psychologist with serious psychiatric conditions – schizophrenia, psychosis, and severe depression – that he developed since his detention. Approximately ten days after that diagnosis, the Israel Prison Service placed him in solitary confinement, which continues until today. Psychiatrists said that his incarceration, and especially his solitary confinement since early November 2021, continues to put his health in acute danger. Nevertheless, on 17 April 2022, the Israel Prison Service renewed his solitary confinement for a further six months, until 16 October 2022. On 13 June 2022, the prison doctor rushed Ahmad Manasra to the prison hospital following life-threatening deterioration in his mental health. He was discharged from prison hospital on 19 July 2022 and put straight back in solitary confinement. His solitary confinement for more than 15 days is a violation of the absolute prohibition on torture.
Ahmad Manasra has now served almost seven years of his 12-year sentence, which qualifies him to be considered for release on parole according to Israeli law. Court hearings in summer 2022 rejected his appeals to be removed from solitary confinement and to be eligible for release on parole. On 1 September 2022, the District Court in Beersheba heard Ahmad Manasra’s latest appeal for early release, on the grounds of medical necessity. This appeal too was rejected.
I call on you to ensure the release of Ahmad Manasra and the provision of health and social services in the community. Pending his release, he should immediately be removed from solitary confinement and given healthcare in compliance with medical ethics, including confidentiality, autonomy, and informed consent. I urge you to arrange thorough, prompt, impartial and effective investigations into Ahmad Manasra’s alleged torture and other ill-treatment.
Yours sincerely,
[Your name]
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