The Tel Aviv District Court barred the Israel Prison Service from holding Agam Tsarafi, a 19-year-old defendant in the Benyahu Razi murder case, in solitary confinement and limited her current separation arrangement to six more days, while sharply criticizing her treatment in a video circulated from detention.
Tsarafi is charged with intentional murder and aggravated injury in the July killing of Razi, 19, in a Jerusalem apartment. Prosecutors allege that she and Shilat Huta helped organize an attack carried out by four minors. All six are charged in the killing, and the criminal case remains pending.
Friday’s ruling concerns Tsarafi’s detention conditions rather than the charges against her, easing some of the restrictions imposed by the IPS but does not restore her general access to telephone calls or determine who recorded or distributed the footage.
Judge Gilad Hess wrote that the action taken against Tsarafi appeared excessive, harmed her dignity and lacked any real justification. The video showed her handcuffed behind her back and bent forward while masked officers led her through the facility.
Hess added that, where possible, male officers should not handle a female detainee. He said, however, that this was a general assessment of the footage rather than a final ruling on all of the defense’s allegations about the escort, restraints, and publication, which were not fully before the court in the prison petition.
The immediate effect is that Tsarafi may not be held alone. The IPS may continue separating her from the general prison population, but she must be housed with at least one other detainee. Hess limited that arrangement to six additional days, through Thursday, rather than the 30 days the service sought.
The court said the need for continued separation must then be reassessed if no new intelligence emerges. Tsarafi may petition again if the IPS extends the measure.
Court largely sides with IPS on telephone access
On telephone access, however, the court largely sided with the IPS. After reviewing classified material from the service and Israel Police, Hess said the restriction was based on reliable, corroborated intelligence and that even monitored calls could undermine its purpose.
The general phone restriction therefore remains in place. Tsarafi’s lawyers may submit a specific request for a call, including with her parents, for the IPS to consider.
Public defender Daniel Mirsky filed the petition on September 14, challenging Tsarafi’s separation and restrictions on calls and visits. The dispute became urgent after the escort video circulated, even though the IPS still had several days to respond.
The defense argued that the footage humiliated a detainee who has not been convicted and risked prejudicing her criminal trial. It also asked the court to identify who authorized its release and prevent further publication of material about her from inside IPS facilities.
The IPS told the court that it had not published the video and that no authorized official had approved its release. It said it was examining the matter. Hess did not determine who filmed or distributed the footage, saying those questions would require a separate, properly filed proceeding.
The service also argued that intelligence material justified the restrictions because of the risk Tsarafi allegedly posed to prison order and public safety. The court found the material sufficient to support the telephone ban and temporary separation, but not solitary confinement or a 30-day period.
“Prison officers are expected to respect themselves, the law and Agam’s presumption of innocence,” the defense said after the ruling. It said the question of Tsarafi’s responsibility for Razi’s death should be determined in court and criticized the professional standards displayed in the video and its distribution.
Ben-Gvir defends IPS, says Tsarafi disrupted order, mistreated prisoners, staff
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had defended the IPS after the footage emerged, alleging that Tsarafi disrupted order and mistreated prisoners and staff, and that her detention transfer was justified.
The murder proceedings are continuing separately in the Jerusalem District Court.
