Prisoner of Zion Rabbi Yosef Mendelevitch, who was previously imprisoned in the Soviet Union, on Monday sat in a solitary confinement cell set up in Jerusalem simulating the cell where Amiram Ben Uliel was.
Ben Uliel has been convicted of the Duma arson and murders, but questions have arisen regarding whether he had a just trial.
Rabbi Mendelevitch's performance illustrates the tiny cell where Amiram stayed in isolation for years, and is expected to ‘hold’ rabbis, MKs, public figures, network anchors and more in the near future.
Rabbi Yosef Mendelevitch called for a fair trial for Amiram: "First of all, the justice of the conviction is very doubtful, even among lawyers who do not support the right-wing line. It is clear that a person who gives testimony after physical torture is not admissible, and for some reason the court accepted it. This is completely wrong. We all expect there to be a new investigation and a new trial."
In addition, he called for Amiram to be transferred to the religious Jewish wing, saying: "Beyond that, the conditions are really unreasonable. Murderous terrorists who live there, even after Ben Gvir made all kinds of reforms, still feel as if they are in a hotel. And here a man is sitting in solitary confinement for something that has not been proven which he did. There is no possibility to pray in a quorum. We are in the State of Israel, in the Land of Israel, how can this be?" he wondered.
"It's a minimal thing, not that he even be released, just to be in a place where you can observe mitzvot (Torah commandments). It's so legitimate for everyone, it's a democratic, basic, liberal demand - to give a person the opportunity to sit under the same conditions as any other prisoner. What is so different? Different from all kinds of despicable murderers who everyone knows killed, and they have fun there. What is this discrimination? In the State of Israel, in the Land of Israel, are Jews, religion, Torah, discriminated against? It really borders on antisemitism," he concluded.
The cell in question consists of a trailer, which was converted into a prison cell, measuring 2 x 1.4 meters. The cell contains a simple bed that takes up most of the space, a single chair, and a stand. (Amiram's original cell also had toilets, inside the cell itself.) The presentation was built exactly according to Amiram's prison cell, simulating it accurately.
The purpose of the cell, according to the movement to free Amiram, is to instill in the public the understanding of the meaning of the isolation imposed on Amiram, and the importance of transferring him to the religious wing.
The protest organizers commented: "It is crazy to think that a person spent years in isolation in a cell like this, where there is no room to even walk. Until a fair trial is given to Amiram, he should be transferred to the Jewish wing immediately, and his conditions of incarceration should be compared to the favorable conditions enjoyed by other prisoners. We demand equal rights for Amiram today, and call on the general public to join this basic and just demand."