Amnesty International Welcomes Ahmad Manasra’s Release After 10 Years in Israeli Prison

Palestinian teenager, Ahmad Manasra, arrested at 13, was released from Israeli prison after serving almost 10 years in jail.

Manasra’s case has been a source of widespread international outcry and concern, particularly as he was arrested as a child and due to the impact his incarceration had on his mental wellbeing.

Manasra was detained in 2015 following a failed stabbing in the Pisgat Ze’ev settlement in East Jerusalem, where he and his 15-year-old cousin, Hassan, tried to attack Israeli civilians. Hassan was shot dead by Israeli authorities during the attack, while Ahmad was gravely injured and detained.

A video acquired from the website showed the boy Ahmad, whose face was covered in blood, being mocked by individuals who were present while he lay helpless on the ground.

Manasra was 13 when he was detained. In detention, his condition deteriorated to the extent that a diagnosis of schizophrenia was reported. His illness was also further aggravated by constant solitary confinement and poor psychiatric treatment, leading to protests by human rights groups all over the world.

Amnesty International and other international child rights advocates condemned the treatment of Ahmad Manasra, deeming his detention and arrest a violation of international law. Human rights experts have pointed out that his incarceration as a child, and in particular in what circumstances he was held, constituted a serious breach of rights guaranteed to him under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which forbids child imprisonment in such circumstances.

Despite pleas for release on compassionate grounds, as his psychological condition worsened, the Israeli government kept rejecting the petitions.

Their argument was that Manasra’s crime warranted the extended sentence, although many in the world saw the response as being out of proportion given his age and the mistreatment he received in prison.

The Palestinian Authority and local human rights groups welcomed Manasra’s release, but they also were worried about the long-term consequences of his imprisonment. He is still physically and psychologically battered by his imprisonment. Amnesty International issued a statement claiming that the handling of the young man while he was in prison was a breach of international law, namely the prohibition of torture and cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment.

On his release, Manasra was welcomed back by his family, who have continued in their campaign to win his freedom over the last 10 years. Yet, while there is joy at his return, questions remain as to whether he can ever overcome the trauma of the years spent in Israeli prisons.

Human rights groups continue to demand the entire overhaul of how Palestinian children in Israeli detention are treated, referring to Manasra’s as typical of wider problems.

They most commonly appeal to Israel to change the system that leads to the imprisonment of children in those conditions.

As Manasra adjusts to life outside prison, the global community watches, with Amnesty International and others vowing to monitor his recovery and ongoing treatment of Palestinian detainees, especially children, by Israeli detention.

The release of Ahmad Manasra serves as a poignant reminder that the rights of children must be protected, regardless of nationality or conflict. As the chapter closes, the eye focuses now on seeing that such abuses are not repeated, and that the ones who undergo similar experiences in the future are assisted and cared for to enable them to rebuild their lives.