Mona Kandil
Press TV, Ramallah
Ahmad Manasra, this Palestinian youth who was arrested six years ago when he was only thirteen years old, is suffering from mental health issues due to torture and solitary confinement he faces in Israeli jail.
Ahmad’s lawyers had appealed to the Israeli court against a special prison committee’s rejection of a request to have Ahmad’s case reviewed by a parole committee after he had served two thirds of his sentence.
The Israeli court of Beer al-Sabe’a held a hearing to review Ahmad’s case; they only decided that his case does not come under the terrorism law.
After years of his detention, no one can forget the video of an Israeli interrogator violently questioning a Palestinian child. In the video, Israeli interrogator kept screaming at Ahmad and accusing him of lying.
Manasra repeatedly told the interrogator that he could not remember. Ahmad was referring to the day when Israeli settlers opened fire at him and left him bleeding on the ground, after being run over by an Israeli settler’s car.
Israeli settlers cursed him, damning him to death. This came after his 15-year-old cousin Hassan was shot dead by Israeli settlers. They accused both Ahmad and Hassan of attempting to carry out a knife-stabbing attack.
A global solidarity campaign has pressured the Israeli courts to hold a hearing to review and possibly appeal Ahmad’s case.
The Israeli court has only decided to cancel the previous decision that Ahmad Manasra’s case comes under the so-called terrorism law. However, Ahmad’s family and lawyers hope that the next session will be soon, as there is a serious need to release Ahmad immediately due to his severely deteriorated mental condition.