A-G Weighing Legal Action Against MKs who Leaked Zygier Affair

The Attorney General reported that pre-planned statements are not protected under MKs’ immunity.

By Gil Ronen

 

Attorney General and Government Legal Advisor Yehuda Weinstein is considering a request by MK Miri Regev (Likud) to open a criminal investigation against MKs Ahmed Tibi (Raam-Taal), Zehava Galon (Meretz) and Dov Chenin (Hadash), who rendered ineffective a gag order on the Zygier affair by speaking about the affair in the Knesset plenum.

Once the MKs spoke about the affair in the plenum, where deliberations are broadcast live on the televised Knesset Channel, other Israeli news outlets felt free to report about it, too.

The three MKs raised the matter in the guise of parliamentary questions to the Minister of Justice, about prisoners whose imprisonment is not known to the public, and the way in which these prisoners are monitored.

MK Uri Ariel (Bayit Yehudi) told Arutz Sheva that exposing the affair in the Knesset did not do any real damage because once the affair was reported in Australia, there was no point in blocking reports about it in Israel.

Knesset Legal Advisor Eyal Yinon has determined that parliamentary immunity does not apply to the case in question. “The advance planning of a statement that constitutes an offense is not protected by immunity and, in principle, an MK can be tried for it, just like anyone else.”

 

View original Arutz Sheva publication at: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/165403#.USNUyGcSH_8