The Central District Attorney’s Office filed an indictment against Akram Zahaika, who is being held at Nitzan Detention Facility, after he allegedly violently attacked another detainee during an argument that developed between them in the detention cell. According to the facts set out in the indictment, as reported by Gilad Morga in Maariv, the incident arose from a dispute over a meal. According to the description, the argument escalated when other detainees present in the cell restrained the complainant, mistakenly believing that he was about to attack Zahaika.
At that point, according to the indictment, Zahaika approached the complainant and punched him in the head. The assault reached its most serious point when the defendant bit the complainant’s right ear with considerable force, tearing off the upper part of the outer ear, which fell onto the cell floor. As a result of the incident, the complainant suffered a serious injury requiring urgent medical intervention, including complex skin-graft surgery, because the damage was determined to be incapable of natural reattachment.
Attorney Liora Komha of the Central District Attorney’s Office emphasized the seriousness of the incident in the indictment, noting that the severe attack occurred against the backdrop of a relatively minor matter. The defendant is charged with aggravated assault with intent to cause the complainant serious injury, disability, or disfigurement. During his investigation in this case, Zahaika denied the allegations and subsequently chose to exercise his right to remain silent.
It should be noted that Zahaika is already being held in detention until the conclusion of proceedings in a separate criminal case against him, in which he is charged with attempted murder and which has not yet been decided by the court. The case raises complex questions concerning detainee safety inside custodial facilities and the responsibility of the Israel Prison Service authorities to prevent violent incidents between detainees. It also highlights the legal treatment of violence within detention facilities, which leads to additional indictments against defendants already under the jurisdiction of the state.
It must be emphasized that these are allegations set out in an indictment that has not yet been adjudicated, and the defendant is therefore presumed innocent unless and until otherwise established in a final judgment.