Ex-president Katsav appeals for pardon from jail

The President’s Residence said that it has received a pardon request for former president Moshe Katsav, just weeks after the convicted rapist’s parole request was denied.

The request has been passed on to President Reuven Rivlin’s legal team for processing and evaluation, which according to the statement, is procedure for all clemency requests.

Katsav, 70, was convicted on December 30, 2010, on two counts of rape, among other charges. He began serving his sentence in December 2011, and is slated for release in December 2018.

Katsav’s family and legal team indicated in recent weeks that they would appeal to Rivlin, citing the ex-president’s supposedly flagging mental health since a parole board rejected his request for release after serving most of his seven-year sentence.

Prison guards have not reported any deterioration in Katsav’s mental health and have not requested the intervention of a psychologist, according to Channel 2 news.

Katsav’s wife recently met twice with President Reuven Rivlin to discuss the possibility of clemency for her husband, according to Channel 10 news.

Katsav and Rivlin are former Likud colleagues who served in the Knesset together for years before Katsav won the presidency.

Rivlin agreed to meet Gila Katsav, according to the report, but made clear in the meetings that there was “very little chance” he would grant an early release to his predecessor.

The Israel Prisons Service parole board rejected early in April Katsav’s request to have one-third of his seven-year sentence knocked off for good behavior.

In citing the reasons for its decision, the board noted that Katsav continues to deny that he is guilty of the crimes for which he was convicted and to only care about his own condition and not that of his victims.

“In front of us is a prisoner who denies the crimes that he committed, who continues to claim his innocence, despite the court ruling in his matter, and continues to spend time trying to prove his innocence, as though there had been no legal process,” the decision read.

“The board took note that the prisoner sees himself as a victim … and is busy solely with himself, his needs, his loss, and the price that he and his family have paid. Even in light of questions from the board, the prisoner didn’t show regret and/or empathy for the victims of the crime, but once again noted the heavy price he has paid and is paying,” it continued.

The board also noted it took into consideration opposition from Katsav’s victims to the release, as well as various opinions from rehabilitation treatment experts.

The rejection of the ex-president’s parole request was widely celebrated by female lawmakers from across Israel’s political spectrum as well as victims groups.

Attorney Zion Amir said after the announcement that the former president would appeal the decision and continue to fight to clear his name, suggesting the board had been swayed by public sentiment against Katsav.

“I very much regret that in our society decision makers are enslaved to outside moods that bring out decisions like this,” Amir said.