Israeli authorities released the dean of Palestinian prisoners, Maher Younis, early Thursday morning after 40 years in detention. The release comes days after pressures were applied to Maher Younis and his family by Israeli authorities, warning them against any celebrations regarding his release, similar to those that followed the release of his cousin, Karim Younis, two weeks ago.
Israeli police deployed in the town of Ara in the occupied interior where Younis resides. The freed prisoner was completing his 40th year in Israeli prisons before leaving for freedom, having been arrested on January 18, 1983, just two weeks after the arrest of his cousin, Karim Younis.
He faced charges of belonging to the "Fatah" movement, killing an Israeli soldier, and illegally possessing weapons after the investigation period. An Israeli court initially sentenced Maher Younis to death by hanging along with fellow prisoners Karim and Sami Younis for "betraying citizenship," but a month later, the sentence was commuted to life imprisonment.
