Attorney General: "Human Rights in Danger, Issue Injunction Against PID Law"

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara is calling on the Supreme Court to issue an interim injunction that would prevent the implementation of the law regarding the Police Investigation Department (PID), which she says is intended to "establish a political prosecution that will strike fear into police officers, investigators, prosecutors, and journalists."

"In the criminal justice system, the state exercises coercive power and powers that are particularly harmful to the individual. To the extent that the government has the means to intervene and influence criminal proceedings or effective levers of pressure on investigators and prosecutors, then human rights in the country are in serious, clear, and immediate danger, and the exercise of the state's coercive power loses its legitimacy," she wrote in her response to the Supreme Court.

She recalled the words of Judge Alex Stein, who determined that "politicization of criminal justice is a very serious phenomenon that is among the distinct hallmarks of a tyrannical regime." According to her, investigators and prosecutors need a basic institutional security envelope to ensure they are treated fairly, without political bias. "The public needs this, because the politicization of investigations and indictments regarding police offenses harms the entire public," she added.

Baharav-Miara noted that the amendment creates a powerful unit parallel to the existing law enforcement system, without professional oversight and with direct dependence on the political echelon. She specifically criticized the appointment process and the unit's subordination to the Minister of Justice. "Entrusting the decision to open an investigation to a body appointed by a political mechanism creates a fear of interference in investigations that are inconvenient for the government," she continued.

The Attorney General also highlighted the issue of making appointments during an election period, which contradicts fundamental principles of governance. The controversial law was approved about a month and a half ago but has not yet entered into force. Petitioners to the Supreme Court are asking to freeze any processes related to the law, including the selection of the PID head, until a final court decision is reached—a position that Baharav-Miara has now joined.