Slippery Slope

Yigal Gozland, an Ashdod Port worker who was convicted of arson and sentenced to seven years in prison, was defined by the port management as being on leave without pay, so that his position and rights would wait for him upon his release.

(Hebrew – Haaretz)

An officer of the Israel Prison Service is suspected of transferring cellphones to security prisoners in return for bribes. (Ynetnews)

Interior Minister Eli Yishai said Israel should release petty criminals to free up jail space for 50,000 illegal “infiltrators.” He added that it is impossible to deport citizens of North Sudan and Eritrea. “At the moment, there are more than 50,000 people whom I cannot deport,” he said. “The security of Israeli citizens is really undermined as a result of these infiltrators and their behavior here, so I proposed clearing out the prisons.”

MK Uri Orbach (The Jewish Home) put forward a piece of legislation according to which anyone who disrespects the national anthem will face a punishment of up to one year in jail.

(Hebrew)

Representatives of the Israeli Bar Association visited a prisoner serving a lengthy sentence, and according to their report of the visit, his complaints – according to which his rights were denied and he was forced to defecate in public into a plastic bag – were justified.

Hebrew

Abdallah Abu Rahme, chair of the popular committee for the village of Bil’in, was supposed to be released from prison yesterday, after serving one year’s sentence. The military prosecution filed a motion to extend Abu Rahme’s imprisonment, despite the fact that he has served his sentence in full. (English)