Supreme Court to Decide Pollard Case on Monday
Shurat Hadin Media Release - January 12, 2006

On Monday 16, January 2006 - nearly a year after Jonathan Pollard's
petition for Prisoner of Zion status was filed - the Supreme Court of
Israel will render its decision. The decision is scheduled to be read at
9:30 AM at the Supreme Court Building in Jerusalem. The public is welcome to
attend.

BACKGROUND:

Jonathan Pollard's PoZ petition, seeks to compel the Government of Israel to
recognize the obvious: that Jonathan Pollard received a disproportionate
life sentence and has been afflicted and tortured in American prisons for 2
decades simply because he is a Jew who served the Jewish State, and that he
should be granted official status as a Prisoner of Zion (PoZ).

PoZ status would offer Pollard a measure of protection in prison and provide
him with specific benefits. It would also impose specific obligations upon
the Government.

The petition caused waves of shock around the world when it was first filed
(8 May 2005) because it revealed, for the first time, explicit details of
the torture and inhumane treatment that Jonathan Pollard has endured in US
prisons over the last 2 decades. An expedited hearing was requested, and the
petition was finally heard by a panel of 3 judges (headed by Supreme Court
Chief Justice Aharon Barak) on 5 September 2005.

Jonathan Pollard is represented by Attorney Nitsana Darshan-Leitner.
Attorney Larry Dub is of counsel. Esther Pollard, Jonathan's wife, will
attend the 01/16/06 court hearing on behalf of her husband.

According to Pollard's wife, Esther: "Jonathan's petition simply asks the
court to compel the Government to recognize the same reality as all the rest
of Israel. Jonathan is in his 21st year of a life sentence for an offense
that usually carries a 2 to 4 year sentence. Every Israeli knows in his
heart that the harsh treatment and grossly disproportionate sentence that
Jonathan Pollard received can only be explained by the fact that Jonathan is
a Jew who served the Jewish State. Jonathan has been officially recognized
as a PoZ by the Prisoners of Zion Organization and by former Prisoners of
War and their respective organizations. Even the Knesset issued a statement
declaring that Jonathan is a PoZ."

Attorney Darshan- Leitner comments: "The Government's refusal to grant
Jonathan Pollard PoZ status, even though he legally qualifies for this
status, can only be understood as politically motivated, and as an attempt
on the part of the Government to continue to avoid discharging its legal
obligations to Mr. Pollard. We are hopeful that the Supreme Court's
decision will establish for the first time, that the 'great bastion of
democracy', the United States of America, is holding a Prisoner of Zion; and
that as such, he has been subjected to cruel and unusual punishment and to a
sentence which is grossly disproportionate to offense with which he was
charged.
For more information: 0523-837-020 Email: info@israellawcenter.org
See Also:
Legal Doc [Hebrew]: Jonathan Pollard's PoZ Petition to Israeli Supreme
Court
Hebrew Text: Supreme Court to Decide Pollard Case on Monday - Shurat HaDin
Media Release www.jonathanpollard.org/petition.htm
The Bagatz Page (Hebrew and English) www.jonathanpollard.org/petition.htm