Administrative detainees illegally transferred to high security wing

Wednesday, October 7, 2015, 17:19 The Israeli Prison Service suddenly decided to illegally transfer three Jews being held under administrative detention to the high security wing in the Eshel Prison in Be’er Sheva. On the evening of Tuesday, October 6, the Prison Service informed Meir Ettinger, Eviatar Slonim and Mordechai Meyer, who are under administrative detention by order of Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, that they would be transferred to the high security wing. No explanation or reason was given for the planned transfer.
On the morning of Wednesday, October 7, Honenu attorney Adi Kedar filed an urgent petition against the transfer and demanded that carrying out the decision be delayed and then canceled. Be’er Sheva District Court Judge Gad Gideon, who ruled on Slonim’s case, did not accede to the demand. However Central District Court Judge Avraham Tal, who ruled on Meyer’s and Ettinger’s cases, did accede to the demand and ordered that they not be transferred. Despite the order Ettinger was transferred to the Eshel Prison.
The decision to transfer the detainees is illegal because the regulations for incarcerating administrative detainees stipulate that an administrative detainee be held only in the prison specified by the Defense Minister in the order which he signed. Additionally the three detainees had been held in open wings, specifically open wings designated for religious prisoners, and now will be transferred to a closed high security wing, which is also against regulations. Ettinger had been in the Ayalon Prison, Slonim had been in the Ela Prison and Meyer had been in the Rimonin Prison.
Honenu attorney Adi Kedar stated, “To my surprise and astonishment, yesterday evening the three administrative detainees were informed that they were being transferred to harsher conditions in a different prison. First of all the transfer is illegal and contrary to the administrative order signed by the Defense Minister. Also, despite the fact that the Central District Court ordered a delay in carrying out the transfer, the Prison Service chose in one of the cases to take the law into its own hands and to transfer [the detainee] to a prison with harsher conditions.”
“We will act decisively,” said Kedar and reiterated that, “One has to remember that according to directives an administrative detainee is given the best and most lenient conditions in light of the fact that he is under administrative detention without having been convicted of any violation, and for that reason we petitioned the court. We await the decision of the court on the matter.”