Pollard Suing To Force Spy Swap After 20 Years In Prison

On 20th Anniversary of His Arrest, Pollard Sues Israeli Govt to Force Spy Swap

Shurat HaDin Law Center - Media Release - November 21, 2005

Pollard: "Israeli who spied against the Jewish State for U.S. must be arrested, interrogated and traded for my freedom."

Imprisoned Israeli agent, Jonathan Pollard, has instructed his attorneys to file suit in Israel's High Court of Justice, today November 21, 1985, the 20th anniversary of his arrest.

Pollard's petition asks the Supreme Court to compel the Government of Israel to arrest Angie Kilciensky --- a self-confessed Israeli traitor who spied for the United States and exposed Pollard -- to interrogate him, and then initiate a spy swap to return Kielcynski to the US and Pollard to Israel.

Angie Kielcynski, (aka Yosef Barak) an Israeli Likud party activist (not an MK) was appointed by Arik Sharon to the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in 1985. He took advantage of his appointment to this Knesset Committee and his access to classified information to spy for the U.S.

Kielcynski was exposed in 2001 when the New York Law Journal, reported on his lawsuit against the CIA to collect pension and benefits for his services from 1985 to 1991. His lawsuit stated that he had provided the CIA with valuable information, including the information about Jonathan Pollard which led to his arrest and incarceration. The US Court did not question the validity of Kielcynski's claims but declined to hear the suit for fear that classified information might be compromised in the process.

Despite his open admission in the media that he spied for the US, Kielcynski was neither detained nor interrogated by Israeli security services when returned to live in Israel in 2001.

Attorney Nitsana Darshan Leitner is representing Pollard, and will file the petition on his behalf today. Attorney Larry Dub is of counsel.

Jonathan Pollard summed up his 20 year experience of dealing with the Israeli Government as follows: "Let me paraphrase an old quote, from Abba Eban: The Government of Israel has never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity to free me. How else is it possible for successive governments to be 'toiling' for 20 years to secure my release, without making even a single centimeter of progress? No one can be that incompetent!"

FOR MORE INFORMATION AND A COPY OF THE PETITION:

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