Israel's
Prisoner X
.
Shir
Hever on the death of a supposed Mossad agent wile in Israeli prison
Australia
launches probe into ‘Prisoner X’ suicide, demands answers from
Israel
Australia is seeking answers from Israel concerning the death of ‘Prisoner X,’ an Australian national who committed suicide in Israeli prison, Foreign Minister Bob Carr said as the ministry prepared to file a formal report on the case.
The
headstone of Ben Zygier is photographed in the Chevra Kadisha Jewish
Cemetery, in Melbourne on February 14, 2013.(AFP Photo / Martin
Philbey)
RT,
17 February, 2013
"We
have asked the Israeli government for a contribution to that report,"
Carr told the press on Sunday.
Australia
wants to give Israel the opportunity to submit an explanation of the
circumstances surrounding the prisoner's death, the minister said.
"I
need to know what the contact was between Australian agencies and
those of Israel, and I need to see what the Israelis want to tell
Australia,"
he explained. "The
key is to get all the information."
Australian
foreign office chief Peter Varghese is preparing the report, which
will "canvass
all the consular contact between Australia and between Israel,”
Carr said. Israeli authorities are reportedly also preparing to
release their inquiry into the prisoner's death.
Meanwhile
the Israeli parliament has called for an "intensive"
investigation into the case.
“The
intelligence subcommittee of the (Knesset) foreign affairs and
defence committee decided to hold an intensive inquiry into all
aspects of the affair of the prisoner found dead in his cell,”
the committee spokesman Asaf Doron has announced.
The
country’s Prime Minister has also spoke about the incident for the
first time since it made scandalous headlines across the globe.
Benjamin Netanyahu has called to safeguard the national interest of
the nation when it comes to the inquiry and insisted that the
security forces be allowed to "quietly" get on with their
jobs.
“Overexposure
of security and intelligence activities can damage, and damage badly,
state security and that is why in every debate we must not
underestimate the security interest,”
the PM said, adding “in
the reality in which Israel lives, it must be a central interest.”
The
Australian-Israeli national known as ‘Prisoner X’ was identified
by media earlier this week as 34-year-old Ben Zygier. In June 2010,
the man committed suicide while being held in a high-security Tel
Aviv prison.
The
incident raised many questions, as well as speculation. Zygnier was
reportedly in prison for 'grave crimes,' but there has been no
official comment on the nature of those crimes. He was also rumored
to be a Mossad agent.
Israeli
officials claimed that Zygier was treated fairly while in prison. But
Zygier's lawyer, Avigdor Feldman, said his client had been under
intense emotional pressure while in custody, which could have led to
his suicide.
"His
interrogators told him he could expect lengthy jail time and be
ostracized from his family and the Jewish community,”
Feldman told Israel’s Channel 10.
Australian
authorities first asserted that they were absolutely unaware of the
Zygier's case, but later admitted that months prior to his death they
learned that Israel had detained an Australian-Israeli citizen on
national security grounds.
An
anonymous Israeli official told The Australian that Canberra knew
about Zygier's case “long before” he died.
The
Australian media also reported that the Israeli Security Agency
informed Australian authorities immediately after Zygier's arrest in
February 2010.
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