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Rabat – People and activists from all over the Arab world are demanding the immediate release of Ahmed Manasra, a 20-years old Palestinian boy who was arrested in 2015 for allegedly helping his cousin attacking two Israelis.
Manasra was arrested when he was 13 years old and sentenced to 12 years imprisonment with a $47,000 fine. The sentence was later reduced to nine years.
Ahead of his court appearance on April 13, the Palestine Global Mental Health Network launched a campaign under the hashtag #FreeAhmadManasra in collaboration with legal experts, children’s rights activists and prisoners’ rights groups, to raise awareness of his case.
The hashtag quickly started to trend in many Arab countries.
A petition calling for his release reached nearly 150,000 signatures in a matter of days, with several sit-ins taking place in different countries as an act of solidarity with the palestinian man.
Latest court appeal
Israel’s Beer Sabaa district court dropped charges of “terrorim” that had been brought against the Palestinian prisoner during his latest appeal in April 13.
Manasra’s story received more attention recently amid the international campaign launched on social media calling for his release, because he is suffering from physical and mental health issues.
“Manasra’s lawyers had appealed to the court against a special prison committee’s rejection of Manasra’s earlier request to have his case reviewed by a parole committee after he had served six years on his nine-year sentence,” Al-Jazeera reported on April 13.
The same source stressed that according to regulations, prisoners who have served two-thirds of their sentences are eligible for this review. However, it remains unclear whether the committee session will be held.
Manasra’s family told The New Arab that Ahmed was severely beaten while in custody, which caused a fracture in his skull and the onset of hematoma.
Ahmed’s brutal arrest
Ahmed, now 20, was arrested by Israeli authorities in 2015 when he was 13, allegedly involved in a stabbing crime carried out by his then 15-years old cousin Hassan Khalid Manasra in Jerusalem.
His cousin was shot and killed almost immediately, while Ahmed was critically injured after he was driven into by a patrol car.
At the time of his arrest, he had been assaulted by settlers who had attacked, beaten and opened fire on him.
Despite endless calls for help, Ahmed was brutally left with little to no medical assistance. He did not receive the necessary medical care for his head injuries, leading to severe mental illnesses.
Manasra, who denied all charges about his alleged involvement in the attack, was brutally interrogated and threatened, despite not participating in the attack, which the courts acknowledged, according to the Daily Sabah
Ahmad Manasra was still charged with attempted murder in 2015.
In a leaked video of his interrogation, the young man echoed “I don’t remember, please just take me to a doctor.”
In a statement, the Palestine Global Mental Health Network said, “Ahmad Manasra was imprisoned in conditions unbefitting of a child and alongside him, truth, justice, and humanity, were foreclosed as well.”
The network also noted that Ahmed has been subject to “continuous punishment and abuse, multiple physical, psychological, and social torture.”
A call for international intervention
Palestine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned on April 13 against Israel’s escalating crimes against Palestinians and called on the international community to intervene.
“Israel’s decision to impose additional forms of collective punishment on the Palestinian people is a criminal act under international law,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry also condemned Israel’s targeted crimes and violations of the human rights of Palestinians.
“The UN Security Council has an obligation to uphold its Charter, implement its resolutions, and exact consequences on Israel for its crime,” it added.
The ministry also stressed that the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court “must expedite its independent investigation into Israel’s ongoing crimes.”
Since 2000, Israeli military authorities have detained, interrogated, prosecuted, and imprisoned approximately 13,000 Palestinian children, according to Defence for Children International Palestine (DCIP).
An average of 263 Palestinian children aged 12 to 17 were detained by Israeli authorities between January 2016 and September 2020, based on data released by the Israel Prison Service (IPS).
