Yigal Amir - Prison Conditions

Prison Conditions

Amir was held in solitary confinement in Beersheba's Eshel Prison and moved in 2003 to the Ayalon Prison in Ramla. In 2006, he was transferred to Rimonim Prison near Netanya. He was also granted the privileges of having no surveillance cameras in his cell, the right to receive visitors in the visiting room rather than in his cell, and the right to speak with other prisoners. Amir was interviewed by the Israeli press in 2008 but the planned broadcast was controversial and subsequently cancelled. As punishment for giving the interview Amir was moved to Ramon Prison and had a number of privileges withdrawn, including the removal of his TV and DVD player and the refusal of family visits; Amir went on a hunger strike in protest. In February 2010, the Nazareth District Court permitted the Ynet internet news service to interview Amir.

In July 2010, after 15 years of solitary confinement, Amir appealed to the Petah Tikva District Court to be permitted to pray in group prayers in accordance to Jewish law. He claimed that the terms of his imprisonment were worse than any other prisoner in the history of the State of Israel, on the grounds that no other prisoner had been in solitary for this amount of time. He said that failure to allow him to pray in synagogue would be a violation of his right to freedom of worship. In August 2010, the court ruled that Amir would be allowed to meet another prisoner for prayer three times a week, and that he would be allowed to study Torah with another prisoner once every two weeks.

In July 2012, it was announced that Amir would be released from solitary confinement. Under his new prison conditions, he will be allowed to watch television and use a phone more frequently. Though he will not be moved to an open cell block, where prisoners are allowed to spend most of the day outside their cells, but will be allowed to meet other prisoners during his two hours' exercise in the prison yard.