Erdemovic and Pollard: A Comparison of Justice

December 4, 1996 - Letter To The Editor - Andrew Brooke

To the Editor,

Strange are the ways of justice:

Drazen Erdemovic, a soldier in the Bosnian army, was recently found guilty of crimes against humanity, at the International War Crimes tribunal in The Hague. He admitted killing up to 100' Muslims during the Bosnian War.

His sentence:

10 years.

With good behaviour, he could be released before then.

Jonathan Pollard, a naval intelligence analyst, pled guilty in 1985 of passing classified information to Israel.

His sentence:

life

, with a recommendation that he never be paroled. He has already served over 11 years of this sentence, with no end in sight.

I can only assume, therefore, that mass murder isn't as serious a crime as giving Israel information needed to defend itself.

Israel was legally entitled to this information, but it was withheld by individuals in the American Administration.

Andrew Brooke

NOTE:

On March 5, 1998, this sentence was reduced to only

5 years.