Decision delayed on early prison release for ex-president Katsav
Parole board puts off conclusion until end of the month after spending several hours considering freedom for convicted rapist
A final decision on whether to release former president and convicted rapist Moshe Katsav from prison early will have to wait until the end of the month, the parole board said Wednesday, after holding a several-hour hearing.
Katsav, serving a seven-year sentence for a conviction on two counts of rape and other charges, is hoping to have the last two years off his term lopped off.
The board met Wednesday at Ma’asiyahu Prison in Ramle, where Katsav is serving his sentence, to debate his release after the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority last week recommended he be set free in a reversal of its previous opinion on the matter.
Katsav, 70, was convicted on December 30, 2010, for rape, sexual assault and harassment of a number of female employees while tourism minister and president, an office he held from 2000 to 2007. He began serving his sentence in December 2011, and is slated for release in December 2018.
Channel 2 reported the parole board meeting lasted some seven hours and was attended by Katsav’s attorneys, representatives from the rehabilitation authority, and state prosecutors. A final decision was scheduled for July 31.
“The debate today was very serious and thorough,” said Katsav attorney Zion Amir, according to the report. “There was a good atmosphere on all sides and there was also a in-depth debate on certain issues.”
“I think the board received answers on things that interested them,” Amir added.
The state prosecution opposes early release for Katsav arguing that Katsav has not admitted his crimes, expressed remorse or participated in any rehabilitation programs offered by the prison.
Earlier this year Katsav was denied early parole after the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority recommended against it, noting that he has not acknowledged or expressed contrition for his crimes, sees himself as the victim in the case and shows no empathy toward his victims.
According to the Yedioth Ahronoth daily, the former president has since agreed to a rehabilitation regimen after his release that includes religious study, regular meetings with social workers and a commitment to not besmirch his victims.
Katsav’s brother, Lior, wrote on his Facebook page of how the delay in a decision on the prisoner’s release had disappointed their aging mother.
“She waited at home,” Lior wrote of 85-year-old Gohar Katsav. “Waited for him to come home today. Waited and waited. Expected and expected. Prayed and prayed. Pleaded and hoped. The parole board had a different plan and a different schedule.”
One of Katsav’s victims slammed the changed recommendation last week, suggesting political pressure was behind the new call to free the former president.
“What happened all of a sudden?” Odelia Carmon wondered in an interview with Army Radio. If he goes free, “it would be unprecedented in Israel, and would send a very negative message, both about women and about sex offenders,” Carmon, who was assaulted by Katsav in the early 1990s, said.
