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| Ben Zygier |
Israel has agreed to pay the family of Prisoner X more than $1 million after admitting that some errors may have caused the suicide death of the man.
Israel agreed to pay $1.2 million in compensation for the family of an Australian-Israeli, who was found dead in a prison cell after allegedly working as a spy for the country's intelligence service, the Mossad.
Ben Zygier, 34, hanged himself in his cell on December 15, 2010, shortly after a visit from his wife. He was arrested and imprisoned in secret several months earlier, in circumstances that remain unclear.
The existence of Israel's Prisoner X was not known until it was revealed by a foreign news agency.
Zygier was allegedly arrested for treason after he interrupted a Mossad mission in 2007, which sought to exhume the bodies of captured Israeli soldiers, who were killed by Syrian forces during an invasion of Lebanon.
Israeli Attorney General, Moshe Lador, admitted that there were serious mistakes made by the prison administration.
The guards failed to make regular checks Zygier, at least one video camera was not operating and crucial information about his poor mental health was not given over to prison doctors.
No charges were filed against prison staff.
The family of Zygier received an immediate payment of $720,000 with further payments of $500,000 over the next four years.
His parents, Geoffrey and Louise, are prominent leaders of the Jewish community of Melbourne, Australia.
The terms of the agreement is to absolve the Israeli government for the blame of Zygier’s death.
Zygier, born in Melbourne, is survived by his Israeli wife and two young children.