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Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, speaking on
Wednesday at the criminal forum of the Israel Bar Association, said that
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and government ministers have come to him with demands to prevent demonstrations, citing security concerns.
During
a discussion about what the supervisory unit of the State Prosecutor's
Office will look like,the issue of indictments filed by the police
against demonstrators was raised. When a lawyer criticized the
indictment of protest leader Daphni Leef, Weinstein said, “I am prepared to examine the question. I really and truly am not familiar with this particular issue.”
Weinstein
added that he is concerned about the right to demonstrate. “In recent
years, issues have come before me that required me to either allow or
forbid a demonstration – and the prime minister, ministers and the
security forces have requested me to prohibit one demonstration or
another," he said. "As a rule, I would allow the demonstration.”
Weinstein
made it clear that the prohibition of a number of demonstrations
stemmed from security concerns, referring to the demonstrations in
politically tense areas like Silwan in Jerusalem and Umm al Fahm near Haifa, and to divisive social issues like the gay pride parade in Jerusalem.
Concerning
the state prosecutor's supervisory unit, Weinstein said that it was
being changed so the public could voice complaints directly to the
watchdog and not just to the lawyers. A final formulation of the body’s
structure and authority is still in the works and it's not yet clear who
it will report to.
According
to Weinstein, it will be under his jurisdiction although Justice
Minister Tzipi Livni is interested in an independent unit, like the
judicial ombudsman for complaints against judges. At this point, it is
agreed that the unit will be headed by a retired district court judge.
(haaretz)
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