Sending the wrong message

Former President Moshe Katsav, who used to be Israel's Citizen No. 1, was convicted on two counts of rape and a whole set of sex crimes. Throughout his trial he tried to cast himself as a victim of those who were supposedly out to get him.

On April 6, the Israel Prison Service Parole Board rejected his request for early parole. In its decision, it said that he "sees himself as a victim, and places the blame on external elements, which he sees as responsible for his downfall. He remains focused on the price he and he alone was made to pay, and he still has an aggressive demeanor that focuses only on himself and on his needs ... and has not expressed remorse or shown empathy toward the victims and keeps mentioning the heavy price he was made to pay and continues to pay."

But lo and behold: The Prisoner Rehabilitation Committee has recently recommended that Katsav be granted early parole and be allowed to serve the final third of his sentence outside prison. The Israel Parole Board is set to announce its decision on the matter on Wednesday. Katsav's attorney, Zion Amir, has even tried to add drama to this situation by saying that letting him stay behind bars was a form of capital punishment. Enough! It is time we stop making decisions based on whom they might affect and start making them based on their merits.

I agree with you, Mr. Amir, that this decision is very much a matter of life and death. I am talking about the victims, whose lives were destroyed, whose superior abused his authority, who were terrorized, intimidated and manipulated -- even after the trial had already begun. I could not make this up -- it was all written in the actual verdict.

But instead of focusing on the victims, the media is talking about his rehabilitation. We are talking about a man who believed he had extra rights when he was a free man, that he could harass, rape and threaten as he wished. Why let him get out of prison despite consistently refusing to take responsibility for his despicable acts? Should such a person, who said he wanted to "rehabilitate his broken life" walk freely among his family members, including women and girls?

If a criminal such as Katsav receives early parole, this will deal a major blow to the justice system and law enforcement agencies. We are outraged when public servants take illicit funds or behave as if they are above the law, be they a former prime minister or former cabinet ministers . And we are as outraged when people harass women. That is why it is extremely important in this general atmosphere, when such matters are front and center, to send a clear cut message: Just because you were elected by the public and earned its trust doesn't mean that you are better than anyone else; in prison, everyone is on equal footing.

If Katsav is released, his conduct will serve as a template for others who may conclude they can commit crimes and still emerge relatively unscathed, and that it pays off to commit crimes. Moreover, if he walks out of prison, victims (not just his) may ask: "Why did we put so much effort into getting a conviction-"

The lives of the victims were destroyed; they were placed under the public limelight and were under attack by Katsav and his allies. These allies knew about his illicit conduct years before it was exposed but decided to protect him -- and they still protect him.

If the parole is granted, it will send a message to all victims of rape and sexual assault: "Complain, come forward and be subject to attacks on your body, your personality, you credibility and reputation -- but in the end you will have to pay for your evil rapist's pension." Are we going to let that happen-

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו