Hikind Prods Hillary on Pollard

Jewish Press - November 26, 1999

At a press conference to be held on December 5, 11:00 a.m. at the headquarters of Hillary Clinton's Exploratory Committee, at 450 - 7th avenue in Manhattan, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) will convene 100 Rabbis and prominent members of the Jewish community in a show of solidarity to call on Hillary Clinton to intercede in order to accomplish a pardon for Jonathan Pollard.

"There is too much confusion in the current climate. Hillary Clinton must elucidate where she stands on vital issues such as Jonathan Pollard. Our community has a right to know the specifics of her position in the tangle of ideology that seems to surround her," said Hikind.

"Jonathan Pollard wrongfully passed secret documentation to Israel, a long-standing US ally, but the life sentence he received has been regarded as a miscarriage of Justice. Pollard has entered his 16th year of a term that has never before or since been imposed on an individual who spied for an ally.

The assemblyman asserts, "Due process is the lynch pin of our democracy. It guarantees that even those criminally charged are entitled to a defense, to the fair application of justice, and ensures that agreements made with defendants will not be violated. Jonathan Pollard confessed under the terms of a plea bargain so that he would receive a reduced sentence. Under the ruse of secret evidence that was submitted to the judge prior to sentencing, Jonathan was unfairly sentenced for treason, a crime he never plead to and a crime he never committed.

Hikind continued, "On December 5th, I will assemble with the religious and lay leadership to demand resolution of this sordid abuse of judicial authority. We must remedy this assault on equity and due process here and now. Jonathan Pollard should not endure another year in prison. We have the right to know positively how Hillary intends to address the matter of Pollard's prolonged incarceration."

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