Once again convicted Rabin assassin Yigal Amir is singled out — not given the same rights as any other prisoner, including the most heinous Arab terrorist incarcerated in Israel. He is denied basic religious freedom.
Petach Tikvah District Court Judge Avraham Tal announced that Amir may not attend a minyan on Rosh Hashanah, despite the fact that there have already been rulings permitting him to attend a shiur three times weekly. The court rejected a petition from attorney Ariel Atari to remove him from solitary, deciding he will remain alone until at least January 2012, at which time the request will be reconsidered.
Atari called the decision a partial victory, pointing out that once again, the ISA (Israel Security Agency – Shin Bet) held to its standard mantra, warning of the dangers of permitting Amir to meet with other prisoners. Once again the court based its decision on old evidence, not even demanding that the Shin Bet reevaluate the situation. Atari explains that Amir simply is not accorded the basic rights enjoyed by prisoners in a democratic country.
Nevertheless, Atari tries to remain optimistic regarding the next hearing, telling the media there is no reason to keep Amir in solitary other than the desire to punish him. He is hopeful that in the next hearing, his client will be able to join ongoing classes in prison, yet he did not explain the reason for his optimism after today’s rejection of all requests and another disappointment for his client.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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5 Responses
Can someone help me out here? i thought it came out that Amir fired blanks at Rabin and that Rabin was only shot with real bullets once he was in the Limo after being whisked away. so why is Amir still in prison?
What is the ShinBet afraid of? That he will tell someone of the government insiders involved in the plot in which he, Amir, was made the fall guy…..
Someday the truth WILL come out.
Did he do Teshuva for the Murder, Did he make ammends with the family Of Rabin Yet?
As long as he hears shofar, what’s the issue?
He’s not in really in jail for “murder” (being someone who goes around killing people), but for what was really “treason” (trying to overthrow the government) so it is fairly rational that they not let him have contact with other inmates, most of whom, especially at a minyan, are like to agree with him on politics.
And even if the Shin Bet was involve (through an Agent provocateur), that hardly makes Amir any less of a traitor. Has he been living in England 200 years ago he would have been drawn and quartered.
Where is religious freedom?
This would never happen to a Muslim inmate.