The reserve officer who was charged with leaking classified comments from the Prime Minister’s office has submitted a request for pardon from President Isaac Herzog.
A., a frum non-commissioned IDF officer, has been imprisoned in harsh conditions for almost two months. Last week, Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein rejected the State Prosecutor’s request that the main defendant in the classified documents leak case, Eli Feldstein, be detained until the end of the proceedings, but ordered the reservist to be detained until the end of the proceedings, which could take years.
The Feldstein case and the decision to detain the reservist until the end of the end of proceedings have been condemned even by leftists. Earlier this week, Channel 13 host Raviv Drucker called for the State Prosecutor to release A. immediately, a surprising statement for someone strongly associated with Israel’s left-wing sector and incessant criticism of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
“Just release the officer already,” Drucker said. “This is madness, a disgrace, and a scandal. What he did was wrong, and he is being prosecuted for it. But that doesn’t begin to explain the disgraceful ruling of Supreme Court Justice Alex Stein.”
A.’s defense attorneys submitted the request for a pardon, detailing A.’s past and the fact that he served diligently in the IDF for about a decade in the Intelligence Division in various fields and volunteered extensively for the community. The letter mentions the district court’s conclusion that “A.’s entire request was and remains the transfer of material and information that will reach the Prime Minister, with the aim of assisting him in making decisions based on as full information as possible.”
The letter also outlines the discrimination against A. in comparison to other cases in which civilians were charged with serious espionage offenses – the transfer of classified information with the intent to harm state security – without a draconian decision for detention until the end of proceedings being established in their cases, while in contrast, A., who is not accused of this serious charge, is to be imprisoned until the end of proceedings.
“If the criminal proceedings against him, within an indictment riddled with distortions, a procedure that should never have happened, are not enough, he was ordered detained until the end of the proceedings, which, with all due respect, is a fundamental mistake,” the letter says.
The letter notes that A. is detained “under harsh and humiliating conditions” and that “the failure to halt the snowball effect in A.’s case will result in a lack of trust and an unprecedented rift between the public and the law enforcement system, to the extent that the public may fear that external and irrelevant considerations are at play. All of these affect us as a society, and in light of this, we request his pardon from the President without delay.”
The request also clarified that A. regrets his actions. “It is clear that he understands he made a mistake, has learned his lesson, and deeply regrets it.”
Kan News reported that Herzog met with A.’s father and wife last week. According to the report, Herzog made comments this week about the importance of ensuring that criminal suspects are treated fairly, without consideration for political motives.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
President Herzog 1st order of pardoning is to pardon יגאל Amir who us way less dangerous than numerous released Arabs over the years who have committed way more more heinous atrocities