A Jew in the Depths of the Colombian Hell: The Story of Eitan Langer

At this very moment, Eitan Langer was supposed to be standing in a courtroom for his release hearing. But the Colombian judicial and penal systems have other plans.

The only Jewish prisoner in the notorious El Pedregal prison is being held in subhuman conditions.

His food rations are minimal. The prison captain despises him because of his Jewish faith. Prisoners have been harassing and abusing him. His property has been stripped. His dentures stolen. And to this date he has survived two poisoning attempts, one resulting in brain damage.

And now, after being denied access to his attorney just two days ago, he was scheduled to appear in court today, March 20th, for a critical bail hearing. But the head of the prison refuses to let him leave to go to court.

His attorney, Sebastián Mazo Tabares, a specialist and Master of Criminal Law, is currently fighting an uphill battle to secure that release.

Before reaching this point, Langer was subjected to a systematic web of lies and corruption. According to the reports:

Theft: Former attorneys stole his funds.

Sabotage: Past counsel tampered with evidence while actively concealing exculpatory evidence that could have proven his innocence.

Intimidation: Journalists were threatened and lied to; some lawyers even crossed the line to assist the prosecution's case.

The embassy: The Israelis did very little if any to assist him, and actually questioned in a Kafkaesque fashion - his very sanity.

Even after finally securing competent representation through the assistance of the local Chabad House, the "Kafkaesque" nightmare continues.

Today, prison guards are flatly refusing to allow Langer to leave his cell to attend his own hearing.

In the midst of this humanitarian crisis, the Israeli Embassy in Colombia has been accused of doing little to intervene. Furthermore, Langer claims that criminal underworld elements who marked him as a hostile entity are collaborating with embassy officials in an active attempt to sabotage his release.

At this stage, Colombia appears to be regressing into the dark image of a "Third World" state. Funds intended for his legal defense have vanished, and bail money was accepted and taken, yet he remains behind bars.

The only progress made in this case is due to the intervention of a journalist. It was only through this external pressure that the individual Langer allegedly robbed received compensation, a step the previous lawyers had blocked from the judge's attention - despite the money being already paid..

Without this journalistic intervention, Langer likely would have remained in prison for years due to legal malpractice without even being able to have the hearing - which he is currently denied from going to.

Now, at the very threshold of freedom, the prison doors are being slammed shut once again.