Knesset Approves Historic Rights for Interrogation Suspects

The Knesset plenum approved in the second and third readings the bill that will mandate the presence of a defense attorney during the interrogation of minors or persons with disabilities who are being questioned by the police as suspects. The new law enshrines for the first time the right to the presence of a lawyer during the interrogation of suspected minors, as well as persons with intellectual disabilities, autism, and mental disabilities.

The groundbreaking move represents a significant change in the field of human rights. It is aimed at strengthening the protection of the rights of the interrogated and ensuring a fair police and legal process. The implementation of the law will help safeguard suspects’ rights, will reduce fears of false confessions, and its success will open the door to expanding the rule in the future to all interrogations in the country — exactly as is customary in many democratic countries around the world.

"Will prevent the fabrication of cases and false confessions"

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Yariv Levin welcomed the passage of the law and said: "The law is a historic revolution. After years of struggle, Israel is aligning itself with the leading democracies in the world. This important law will prevent the fabrication of cases and false confessions, and will protect the most vulnerable and weak populations from the arbitrariness of law enforcement authorities. No more illegal interrogation tactics and misuse of technological means to extract false confessions. I will continue to act decisively to protect the basic rights of each and every one of us to equality before the law and to a fair investigative and legal process. I thank the Chairman of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, MK Simcha Rothman, and all those involved in the work."

Chair of the Labor and Welfare Committee, MK Michal Woldiger, who led the bill, clarified the moral importance behind the law: "This bill is not just another clause in the law book. It is a value-based, moral, and legal amendment of the highest order. A society is tested by its treatment of the weakest and most vulnerable within it, and today we have taken a significant step to ensure that even those whose voices are heard less will receive real protection."