Female lawmakers outraged at prospect of early Katsav release

Several female lawmakers expressed outrage Saturday over reports that former president Moshe Katsav, currently serving a seven-year sentence for rape and other sexual offenses, may soon receive an early release or a presidential pardon.

Channel 10 and Army Radio reported on Friday that Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked and President Reuven Rivlin would support pardoning Katsav if he is not granted early parole later this month.

Zionist Union MK Shelly Yachimovich, in a Facebook post, said Katsav was “a psychopathic, violent, serial sex offender” who did not deserve to go free.

“Katsav’s release at this time will send a terrible message to the victims and will destroy the impressive progress” Israeli society has made in fighting sexual crimes.

Meanwhile three Meretz MKs — Zehava Galon, Tamar Zandberg and Michal Rozin — also urged leaders not to overrule the parole committee’s decision, noting that “Katsav did not offer remorse or take responsibility for his actions, and his early release will send a message that abuse of authority and harming women is not taken seriously.”

Rivlin and Shaked both denied on Saturday that they had made a decision to push for Katsav’s release.

The president’s office said in a statement that the matter had not been brought before him yet. Sources close to him told the Maariv newspaper that “the president has not expressed support for [Katsav’s] release in any forum, and when the time comes for a decision the president will make it according to relevant considerations and while taking into account professional opinions.”

Shaked said in a statement Saturday that no request for a pardon had been brought to her desk. She did not comment on her attitude to such a plea, should it be submitted.

Katsav is on March 27 scheduled to appear before the Israel Prisons Service Parole Board, which has the authority to shorten prison sentences by a third.

According to Channel 10, Shaked asserted that there was no reason for the parole board not to order the release of Katsav, who is 70-years-old and has already served five years of his sentence.

“He meets the criteria [for early release],” Shaked has reportedly said of the ex-president. The justice minister reportedly added that both she and Rivlin would support pardoning Katsav if he were denied parole.

Katsav was convicted in 2011 of rape, sexual assault and harassment of a number of female employees during his tenures as tourism minister and president.

He was sentenced to seven years in prison, and has since been waging a campaign for release on numerous fronts.