Israel’s Ramle Magistrate’s Court reviewed on Sunday the eligibility of detained Palestinian Ahmed Manasra for early release without announcing a final decision, Manasra’s defense team said.
Lawyer Khaled Al-Zabarqa told reporters after the session that a parole board has reviewed the case and heard all the parties. However, the lawyer added that the court did not announce a final decision, noting that it may issue its ruling within a week.
The trial of Ahmad Manasra is exposing the legal system of Settler Colonial Israel. Even their laws are designed and written to discriminate against Palestinians and institutionalize an Apartheid system. 👇🏼#FreeAhmadManasra #Unchilding pic.twitter.com/GuE7QEVbfG
— Samar D Jarrah (@SamarDJarrah) June 19, 2022
“We called on the committee to refuse to classify Ahmed’s case as terrorism and to transfer it to the early release committee, especially since he is in a difficult physical and psychological condition,” Al-Zabarka said.
Al-Zabarka explained that he visited Manasra in prison and found signs of wounds along his left arm all the way to the wrist, as well as wounds on his right arm, noting that he did not communicate with him visually or verbally and seemed to show signs of illness and general exhaustion.
According to Amnesty International, Manasra’s mental health worsened during his incarceration.
Ahmed Manasra, a Palestinian teenager from #Jerusalem, has been arrested since he was only 14 years old. Since 2015, he's experienced inhumane treatment and torture by the Israeli prison officers, resulting in severe psychological disorders.
More in this thread#SaveAhmedManasra pic.twitter.com/yx6xPZjtDb— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 20, 2022
In October 2021 an independent Israeli clinical psychologist working with Physicians for Human Rights – Israel (PHRI) diagnosed him with severe psychiatric conditions and stated these had developed since his imprisonment.
Ahmed Manasra’s parents said in February 2022 that their son had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, is suffering from psychotic delusions, and is severely depressed with suicidal thoughts.
The family said that he was violently beaten when he was detained in 2015 at the age of 13, and he had sustained a fractured skull.
The prominent activist Sarah Wilkinson speaks out in solidarity with Palestinian detainee Ahmad Manasra, who has developed mental health problems since his arrest as a 13-year-old child, and calls for his freedom saying" I'll finish off by just saying, Free Ahmed Manasra" pic.twitter.com/dpJXeuBNC2
— PALESTINE ONLINE 🇵🇸 (@OnlinePalEng) June 20, 2022
Manasra has been unlawfully detained for seven years by the Israeli occupation under horrific circumstances and is currently suffering from serious mental health issues.
He was arrested at just 13 and violently interrogated without a lawyer or his parents present.
Last month, the Israel Prison Service (IPS) filed a request to the Beersheba District Court requesting the extension of his solitary confinement.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
