Amir - soon out of confinement?
Photo: Zoom Out Productions
Yigal Amir briefly taken out of solitary confinement
Yitzhak Rabin's murderer allowed out of solitary confinement for first time in order to take walk in yard with three other prisoners; may soon be removed from solitary
After 16 years in isolation, Yigal Amir,
murderer of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin
met with other prisoners for the first time during the daily walk in the prison yard at the Rimonim Prison on Sunday.
The prisoners who were allowed to meet with Amir, three out of the 10 religious prisoners, were chosen carefully in order to prevent any physical attacks on Amir.
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During the excursion, Amir was allowed to speak to the other prisoners while Prison Service officers observed to ensure that the hour concluded without incident and without any hostility towards Amir.
Yigal Amir (Photo: Hagai Aharon)
When his hour was up Amir was taken back to his cell where he will remain for 23 hours of each day.
A Shin Bet source told Ynet that "it is only a matter of time before Amir is placed with other prisoners in spite of the fact that he has been declared a security prisoner and a risk to State security."
Amir, serving a life sentence for the murder of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, has been incarcerated in solitary confinement since his arrest.
The court extends his time in solitary confinement every six months upon a Prison Service and Shin Bet request. Following a petition Amir filed with the court on the matter of his isolation, the court ruled that Amir's removal from solitary confinement must be taken into consideration.
Recent petitions filed by Amir mean that he is now allowed to meet with another prisoners on a daily basis in order to study Torah.
The Prison Service has now begun to review the possibility of removing Amir from solitary confinement due to the court's ruling and the fact that the State Prosecutor's Office and the Prison Service have not expressed opposition to the move.
Amir may be imprisoned with other prisoners in a closed wing where the prisoners remain in their cells at all times other than the daily visit to the prison yard.
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