Serious deterioration in Ahmed Manasra’s mental, physical health in Israel jails

Ahmad Manasra, a Palestinian detainee, is suffering from critical mental and health conditions [@Palestinecapti1/X]

The Palestinian Prisoners’ Club yesterday warned of the serious deterioration in the mental and physical health of Ahmed Manasra, who was imprisoned by Israel at the age of 13.

The group said it held the Israeli prisons’ administration fully responsible for the 21-year-old’s fate.

His lawyer Khaled Zabarqa confirmed that the defence team continues its efforts to, at the very least, have him released from solitary confinement where he has been held since October 2021.

In March, an Israeli court extended Manasra’s solitary confinement for a period of six months. A period which now expires in September.

Manasra was arrested in 2015 when he was just 13 years old. He and his 15-year-old cousin were accused of stabbing two Israelis in the illegal Pisgat Ze’ev settlement in the occupied West Bank. His cousin was shot dead at the scene, whereas Ahmad was hit by a car and sustained serious head injuries while an Israeli crowd jeered at him.

Following his arrest, video footage widely circulated on social media showed a young, distressed Ahmad being harshly treated and severely interrogated without the presence of his parents or legal representatives.

He was mistreated during the early years of his detention to the point he was later diagnosed with schizophrenia. A group of 36 psychologists have appealed to the Israeli president to pardon Manasra due to his mental health.

READ: The world continues to turn a blind eye to Palestinian victims of torture

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