The Knesset on Monday approved the “suspects’ names” bill – an amendment to Courts Act.
The amendment states that during the first 48 hours of a police investigation, or during the first two days in which a suspect in police custody has not been arraigned, the suspect’s name would be placed under a gag order.
The embargo includes suspects in all cases, except where public safety is concerned, or when the publication serves the investigation’s purposes.
The new law joins other Justice Ministry initiatives, such as the “concealment bill,” which aims to restrict media access to ongoing police investigations by placing them under a comprehensive gag order.
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4 Responses
Doesn’t this just make the state of Israel even more of a dictatorship? If there was reason for his arrest then why does it bother them if the name goes out to the media? If there was reason for a gag order can’t the police just get one?
Response to no.1.
This is a great law, as general practice is that the police & press (P&P) work together & many people gain a black name even though in the end they are found innocent. The dictum of innocent until proven guilty doesn’t apply when the press is in charge. Now the story can be reported, but 2 days later, it may too much of a bother to report the story now appended with a name, so the press may now be guilty of abiding by the laws of lashon harah !!!
On the contrary, this is to protect the arrested person’s privacy. Who says there was a good reason for the arrest? Until the reasonableness of his arrest has been established, why should he suffer the permanent damage to his reputation of being named as a criminal suspect? Really I think he shouldn’t be named until at least a prima facie case against him has been established, but at least this is a start. And why would the police apply for a gag order? They’re the ones who arrested him in the first place; they’re hardly going to care about his reputation or privacy!
#1 proud orthodox jew – it appears that you don’t live here. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have asked.