Shas leaders visit Benizri (R) in jail
Photo: Kikat.net
Shas demands upgraded prison conditions for Benizri
MKs claim former minister being served cold food, assigned to overcrowded cell, not permitted to sleep in sukkah during holiday. Internal Security Ministry: All prisoners treated equally
Shas chairman Eli Yishai has approached Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch a number of times recently and asked that former Minister Shlomo Benizri's prison conditions be upgraded.
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Benizri began serving his four-year sentence on September 1, after being convicted of taking a bribe.
The request followed several complaints made by Benizri's associates and Shas Knesset members, according to which the former minister is being discriminated against and treated poorly.
They claimed, among other things, that Benizri is being served cold food, has been assigned to a crowded cell and was not authorized to sleep in a sukkah during the holiday.
Channel 10 reported Tuesday that Shas MKs have also complained that it can take them over a month to get clearance to visit Benizri in prison. They are demanding unlimited visitation rights.
"Yishai has approached (Minister Aharonovitch) with regards to Benizri so that the rabbi will be permitted to go about his everyday Torah routine," Shas said in a statement.
Minister Aharonovitch's office said in response, "The Israel Prison Service operates under set guidelines. The minister (Benizri) is not subjected to external pressures, and the prisoners are all treated equally."
