Mandelblit: Appoint Justice minister to avoid coronavirus prison outbreak
Mandelblit urged Netanyahu and Gantz "once again" to appoint a Justice Minister as quickly as possible.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFAVICHAI MANDELBLIT(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Israel's Attorney-General, Avichai Mandelblit sent a letter Thursday to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz urging them to appoint a Justice Minister in order to avoid creating a public health issue and risking new coronavirus outbreaks, especially among the prison population.In the letter, Mandelblit explains that without a Justice Minister, there is no current way to extend regulations that allow for prisoners and detainees to be absent from court discussions on their cases. This means that around 1,000 prisoners and detainees will be brought to Israel's courts every day, creating a public health issue, due to the coronavirus.The current provision that allows for prisoners and detainees to be absent from discussions is set to expire at the end of April.Many of the prisoners and detainees are not vaccinated and in order to bring them to court for every discussion on their case, they will need to be in close proximity to one another for extended periods, in large groups, said Mandelblit. Currently, there is no way to bring them to court and maintain current coronavirus safety regulations.Alternatively, the failure to amend this situation could lead to the rights of prisoners being violated as there is no solution for those who are confirmed as infected with the virus or in mandatory isolation, said Mandelblit.Mandelblit concluded by urging Netanyahu and Gantz "once again" to appoint a Justice Minister as quickly as possible.In January, there was intense and harsh debate over the vaccination of prisoners, which Public Security Minister Amir Ohana delayed for weeks, claiming that other groups should receive the vaccines first.Ohana was met with opposition, with many criticizing him and questioning his authority for giving such instructions, while noting the national importance in vaccinating prisoners as soon as possible. Opposition to this policy included a letter written by President Reuven Rivlin, urging the ministry to reconsider its policy and noting the increased risk of prisoners contracting the virus, considering their crowded living conditions.Tobias Siegal contributed to this report.
