Our friends at Right Now: Advocates for African Asylum Seekers in Israel issued the below statement today:

Right Now applauds yesterday’s decision by Israel’s Attorney General to release Mutasim Ali, a refugee from Sudan’s west Darfur region and a prominent leader of the African asylum seeker community in Israel. This victory marks the first time an Israeli court has acted against the government’s delays in processing asylum requests.
Unfortunately, the overall situation continues to worsen. Recently, Israel’s immigration ministry announced a new policy to accelerate deportation of asylum seekers. Israel must reopen a credible asylum application process, close the Holot prison, and provide the rights entitled to those fleeing war and persecution, including access to health services and the freedom to work.
For more information on the history of Israeli policy on Asylum Seekers and Refugees, visit our website www.asylumseekers.org

You can learn more about Mutasim Ali and his heart-rending story of why he left Darfur and ended up in Israel via his TED talk a year ago at Ben-Gurion University.