Sheikh Raed Salah: Israel tried to silence me in prison

Leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, Sheikh Raed Salah, said he spent the entirety of his detention in solitary confinement and was repeatedly moved from cell to cell.

Speaking following his release yesterday, Salah said the Israeli occupation imposed “harsh” prison conditions on him in order to prevent him from being in touch with any other detainee. “They held me in the solitary cell of the solitary department,” he said.

“My life in prison was full of hardships and oppression,” he said. “They intended to keep me speechless all the time.”

“But now, I am free.”

Salah was detained by Israeli forces in August 2017 and indicted for incitement following his criticism of the erection of metal detectors at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

He was sentenced to 28 months in prison by an Israeli court. He served 11 months, half of which was spent in solitary confinement, before he was moved to house arrest.

After two years under house arrest, in August 2020, Salah began a 17-month jail term on incitement charges, spending the whole period in solitary confinement.

WATCH: Palestinian icon Raed Salah released from Israeli prison