Former Israeli president Moshe Katsav began serving a seven-year prison term for rape yesterday, professing his innocence and saying he was being "buried alive".

The case has captivated the country for more than five years and marked the first time a former Israeli head of state has been jailed. Officials say it proves no one is above the law.

Katsav, 66, was president from 2000 to 2007. He was convicted last year of twice raping an aide when he was a cabinet minister in the late 1990s and sexually assaulting two other women who worked for him while he was president.

Katsav was sentenced in March to seven years in prison. Three Supreme Court justices ruled unanimously against his appeal last month.

"I know, and all who know me know, that the accusations are false," Katsav said before entering Maasiyahu prison, where his cellmate is expected to be a former health minister jailed for taking bribes.