JERUSALEM – May 16, 2010 – The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) sent an appeal to Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein today, demanding that he act urgently to permit the meeting of arrested political figure Ameer Makhoul with an attorney. Makhoul has been forbidden by the authorities from meeting with his lawyer since he was detained 11 days ago.
Makhoul and Dr. Omar Saeed, both politically active members of Israel’s Arab minority, were arrested separately in recent weeks on charges of meeting with a foreign agent and espionage. Authorities had placed an extended gag order on the two cases, which was removed following several interventions to the Petach Tikva Magistrate’s Court, including by ACRI, on May 10. These events come after another extended gag order was imposed on a security-related case involving former soldier Anat Kamm leaking classified military information to a journalist; in that case, too, the publication ban was lifted following ACRI’s appeal.
“A suspect’s right to meet with a lawyer is a basic constitutional right, serving as a critical guarantee that his or her investigation is fair and that due process rights are protected,” wrote ACRI Attorney Lila Margalit in today’s appeal.
“It’s critical to remember that a suspect is simply an individual whose involvement in a crime is being examined. As such, he or she is assumed to be innocent until proven guilty. Respect for his or her due process rights is intended to ensure that the process aimed at determining guilt or innocence is fair and effective,” she wrote.
Makhoul and Saeed’s arrests have been widely publicized in the Israeli media and have been the subject of intensive protests in recent days. Read the appeal in Hebrew.
