Yigal Amir's request to attend son's bris rejected
Prison Service determines assassin of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin 'a danger to society and endangered by society,' refuses to grant him furlough for impending birth of his son. Amir's family slams decision, asserts State trying to 'break his ideology'
The Israeli Prison Service on Monday rejected the request filed by Yigal Amir, assassin of late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, to receive a furlough from prison to attend the bris of his son with wife Larissa
Trimbobler.
Trimbobler is scheduled to give birth in late October.
The IPS said in its response that Amir's request had been denied out of concern for both the prisoner's safety from vigilante acts as well as concern for the public's safety fro Amir.
Officials said there was concern that Amir would manage to get in touch with various extremist right-wing groups during any stay outside of prison.
The service also rejected Amir's contingency request to hold the ceremony inside the prison walls.
Amir's attorneys have since filed an urgent appeal to the Tel Aviv District Court.
Since his arrest Amir has been held in isolation and is not allowed to come into contact with other inmates. His daily exercise time is also spent in solitude. He is allowed visitations from immediate family members only and has restricted use of the prison's telephones.
Amir's younger brother Amitai slammed the IPS's decision. "In all our dealings with the IPS we've found it to be a totalitarian regime that would go to any lengths to ensure the ideology Yigal holds is broken. But despite being used to such treatment, this latest move is cruel and inhuman. And as shocked that we were when his request was denied – that's how great our joy will be in our triumph," he said.
The Knesset has adopted the "Yigal Amir law", according to which the parole board will not be allowed to recommend that a prime minister's murderer be pardoned or that his sentence be commuted.
The bill was initiated by Knesset Member Avshalom Vilan (Meretz). Amir has not been granted a furlough
since he was jailed 12 years ago.
"Releasing Yigal Amir for one day is the last stop on the way to a full pardon for this vile murderer," Peace Now Chairman Yariv Oppenheimer said in response to Amir's request.
