JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli court has ordered a former educator accused of sexually abusing her students in Australia released on house arrest while she fights extradition proceedings.
Australia wants Malka Leifer extradited to face 74 charges of abusing students while she was principal at a Jewish religious school in Melbourne. Prosecutors say she is feigning mental illness to dodge extradition.
In Wednesday’s ruling, the court said Leifer could be released on Friday. She is to stay at her sister’s house and remain under the supervision of five court-approved people.
Prosecutors have until Friday to appeal.
Kol V’Oz, an Israeli advocacy group that fights child sexual abuse, called the decision a “travesty.” It says that if Leifer is unwell, she should be in a jail or hospital until she is returned to Australia.
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