Pollard parole conditions going under review

A federal judge calls on the US Parole Commission to explain why it has imposed such strict conditions on Jonathan Pollard’s parole.

Judge Katherine Forrest of the US District Court in Manhattan sends the Pollard case back to the commission for further review. The decision comes in response to an appeal of the parole conditions filed by attorneys for Pollard, who was released last month after spending 30 years in a federal prison for spying for Israel.

The restrictive conditions for Pollard’s five-year parole include wearing an electronic ankle bracelet with GPS tracking and surveillance of his and any employer’s computers. He also is confined to his New York home between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. — a condition, Pollard’s attorneys argue, that has interfered with his ability to observe the Jewish Sabbath and certain holidays, and could preclude him from holding down a job.

— JTA