Prisoner attacked by 6 Arabs 'for wearing Star of David'

Jewish prisoner says he was severely assaulted by Arab inmates for wearing Jewish symbol around neck; 'Attack was nationalistically motivated,' say victim's attorneys

Aviad Glickman|Published: 05.15.12 , 09:34

Alexander Boltiansky, a prisoner held at the Nitzan Prison for crimes committed in Russia, claims he was attacked by six Arab inmates over the weekend for wearing a Star of David necklace around his neck.

Boltiansky's attorneys claimed on Sunday that as a result of the attack, Boltiansky suffered from severe injuries all over his body including cuts on his head.

Related stories:

The Public Defender's Office attorneys further said that Boltiansky asked the prison guards for assistance but did not receive any. "My client was severely beaten for a long period of time without any assistance from the guards who were standing nearby," one attorney said.

An inquiry into the incident has been ordered by Judge Orit Gabay.

Meanwhile, Boltiansky's attorneys approached Nitzan Prison's warden and demanded that the prison provide Boltiansky with psychiatric and physical care, as his wounds suggest he was also raped during the attack.

"The prison must provide Boltiansky with immediate psychiatric care, seeing as he has threatened to kill himself," said his attorney.

Boltiansky's attorneys told Ynet that they "were shocked to see the prisoner in such grave mental and physical health and worst of all was the fact that Boltiansky had not yet seen a doctor when we saw him."

"It is not clear to us why the Israel Prison Service decided to place Boltiansky, a Jew with a Star of David necklace dangling from his neck, in a cell with other Arabs. We assume the attack was nationalistically motivated," the attorney said.

The Israel Prison Service said that it has looked into the incident and ruled out a nationalistic motive.

"Prison guards saw the fight braking out and rushed to separate the sides and deal with the incident," the IPS said. "A complaint about the assault was filed with the police, who are investigating the case."