An Israel court has ordered the Israel Prison Service to allow a convicted killer to undergo a gender change while incarcerated, in a precedent-setting case for criminals.
The ruling handed down by the Court of Administrative Affairs in Lod follows an appeal the criminal—who was convicted over a decade ago of manslaughter and attempted manslaughter as a male and who now wants to become a female—lodged against the Prison Service, according to a report Thursday on Israel’s N12 website.
The appellant has decided to undergo a gender change and was transferred to the Neve Tirtza women’s prison in Ramla in 2019 but was not released to undergo a sex change at a hospital. After a legal process that began five years ago, the court ruled in his favor.
The ruling effectively grants Israeli prisoners the same medical rights as other citizens and opens the door for other transgender criminals to “realize their identity,” according to the appellant’s lawyers.