Public defender slams Prison Service, Ben Gvir over video of ‘humiliating’ treatment of murder suspect

The Public Defender’s Office condemns a video released by the Israel Prison Service yesterday that showed murder suspect Agam Tsarafi hunched over as guards march her to her cell and search her belongings.

The public defender says the conduct in the video is “disgraceful, humiliating and unjustified… not least since the inmate’s trial is ongoing and the presumption of innocence applies.”

“The humiliating conduct seen in the video illustrates the grave crisis in jails that the public defender has been warning about,” the office says. “The fact that this hurtful conduct… and its shameful publication enjoy the support of the appointed minister is a testament to the depth of the crisis.”

The IPS is under the auspices of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has championed making prison conditions worse for Palestinian security inmates.

Tsarafi, the woman seen in the video, is an Israeli criminal inmate and an IDF soldier who is accused of ordering a hit on her partner Benayahu Razi at a short-term rental apartment in Jerusalem in July.

The video shows her being marched to her new cell at the Abu Kabir prison near Tel Aviv, where she was moved from the Neve Tirtza Prison.

מסדרונות שב״ס הפכו לסט צילומים. זה תיעוד מביך: אגם צרפי, עצורה שהיא רבע עוף מובלת שפופה, סביבה לוחמים רעולי פנים עם קסדות, מגנומטרים וחיפושים כאילו מדובר במחבל נוח׳בה. בשיא, לוחמי כליאה מתועדים מחפשים בתוך שקית בה נמצאים חפציה האישיים ודברי הגיינה נשית

אפשר וצריך לאבטח עצורה… pic.twitter.com/BYZECqAtQJ

— לירן תמרי | Liran Tamari (@liran__tamari) September 16, 2026