The Israeli rape victim, P., has been joined by the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel in appealing the gag order (the appeal is displayed here with P’s identity excised) protecting alleged rapist and Channel 2 News reporter, Yoav Even. I am hoping that even if this appeal fails that they will succeed in bringing the case before the Supreme Court, which takes a dimmer view of such blanket gags than the lower Israeli courts do. As I wrote earlier, the Israeli police have opposed the gag almost from the start. It is only the defendant and the judge who’ve agreed that he should be protected.
If you are a Hebrew reader, you may read the verbatim transcript of P.’s statement to the police concerning her rape. This was the document I translated into English and paraphrased in my blog post. I assure you that however troubling you found my version, the Hebrew is more so. Not that I’m discouraging you from reading it. Just the opposite. If any Israel, man (or woman for that matter), has any doubt that P. was raped, you owe it to yourself and the truth to read this. I note that an entire gang of earlier commenters who waxed indignant about my accusing a possibly innocent man of a crime he may not have committed, somehow haven’t continued with their hue and cry since I published P. rape statement. Nor have they recanted their previous defense of Even. They’ve just–gone silent. Hmmm.
I especially urge this reader–who wrote a deeply objectionable comment here in which he praised the effort of a blogger known by the apt name, Mala Fide (or “Bad Faith”) to expose P’s identity–to read the original Hebrew transcript. Mala Fide stole the disguised image I displayed here of P. and urged anyone who might know P. to publicly “out” her on the presumption that she was a liar and smearing the reputation of an innocent man. Clearly, Mala Fide doesn’t like women, or perhaps he just doesn’t like women who were raped or claim they were raped, or perhaps he just doesn’t like anyone but himself. I don’t know what Troll’s problem is. He’s the one who published this comment earlier:
| Troll Sonsunsing@yahoo.com 159.53.46.147 | Submitted on 2011/05/26 at 11:22 AM [URL suppressed] In Mala Fide is working hard to find the name and unedited photo of the false rape accuser so that true justice can be served! |
My most excellent and sharp friend, Dena Shunra did a little research on our friend, Troll, to discover that he’s been posting his six comments from a company computer using the JP Morgan Chase servers, which likely means he is an employee of the bank. You’d think people like this posting objectionable material would have half a brain about their behavior and at least protecting their sorry asses.
UPDATE: Before reading the passage below, I wanted to include this gratifying response I received on May 31st from JP Morgan Chase’s executive offices regarding Troll’s use of the bank’s computer resources to engage in this campaign against P.:
I am writing in response to your complaint, which was forwarded to the Executive Office for response. I would like to thank you for taking the time to write and make us aware of this situation…Please be assured your concerns have been documented and reported to the appropriate management to be addressed.
So I naturally wrote to the company e-mail address (for abuse) listed for the corporate IP address Troll used to report that he was using JP Morgan Chase IT resources to publicly urge that a raped woman’s identity be exposed, thus opening her to further degradation and humiliation and possibly physical harm. No response from Chase. But I’m happy to say that since I posted my last reply to Troll advising him of the action I’ve taken, he’s mysteriously disappeared. I guess he got the message.
Israelis might care to know that JP Morgan Chase has an extensive corporate presence in Israel. You might want to consider that when you make decisions on where to bank or invest your money. If I ever hear a response from the bank’s IT department about this incident I’ll let you know. I did offer them 24 hours to respond to me before I posted this, but they didn’t.
If you’re an Israeli, you may want to let Channel 2 know that you don’t wish to see on your TV screen a reporter who may’ve perpetrated the type of brutality portrayed in P.’s statement. Just as you don’t enjoy seeing the image of Roni Daniel, the station’s senior military correspondent, who appears to have obstructed justice by making unwanted contact on behalf of his friend, Even, with the victim before she filed charges.
I just have 1 question If I may.
Why in the name of all that is holy do you put in so much effort and time into this small minor story when there is so much more important things going on (ie the speeches in congress).
This Yoav Even most israelies havent heard of him (Health reporter) and recieves almost no coverage in the Israeli Media.
I enjoy your blog and would be most intrested to read your take on Bibi\Obama speeches (no to 67 \yes to 67 ect..)
You have clearly never been raped & I hope you never are. But if you ever are or have a close friend or family member who is, then you would never call the story of a woman’s rape and muzzling a “minor story.”
I’ve submitted my take on those issues you mention to Truthout & if they accept it it will be published there this week. For a taste of it, you can read a short take here.
1 out of 3 woman were sexually assuled (I include my self in that unfotunate stats) .Still its not major news .. proof of that that this story appeared on the back pages of the press and zero on the news ect..
“It is not major news, PROOF of that is that is that is this story appeared on the back pages of the press and zero on the news.” You are funny: First of all, you could also see this as a disregard for this sort of crime. But most of all: It is FORBIDDEN to report this case in Israel. Haven’t you read Richard’s posts at all?
The story can be reported, but only in the most general way. Even is called “the media personality” in the few stories published about this. But very few media outlets are interested in reporting stories in which they can’t provide any details of the case or name the victim or perpetrator.
Not major news that a woman who is now a statistic representing 33% of all Israeli women has been raped? Sorry, we have different standards of what constitutes major news. If you create yr blog & make editorial decisions based on the standards you’ve shown here you’ll either be writing about the Tel Aviv dating scene & be a raving success; or else no one will read you.
Are you daft? There’s a gag order on the case. Of course the story’s been barely covered. They can’t cover it using the terms that news organizations usually use, hence the lack of interest so far. But that will change. Not to mention that news organizations don’t like to turn on their own when misfortune strikes. So they cover their own behinds & those of their competitors when scandals like this hit. The other TV channels never know when they’ll need to ask Channel 2 to cover for them when one of their employees does something daft like Even likely did.
Richard
I have followed this case since you first wrote about it.
I could not fully understand initially, why you were so incensed. Since reading more and especially since reading P’s statement, I find myself becoming disturbed by the case and it’s implications.
I believe P’s statement to be true.
I asked a laywer friend to read P’s statement before saying what I am about to say.
From a legal standpoint, P did not act in her own best interest and, unfortunately, under the circumstances, it would be difficult to convict Mr.Evan of rape.
I understand that P was physically impared and very confused by the drug and in shock and maybe in denial from the brutality.
I did not notice anything that P did to bring this upon herself.
Her loneliness and naievete were used cynically against her.
I cannot imagine how P can pick up pieces and continue with her life.
It angers me that a man, in order to temporarily gratify himself, would cause such undeserved trauma to a woman.
I want something to be done to deter such acts in the future.
I agree with you that there are reasons why this case might not be the easiest to prosecute or win. In fact, it might be impossible to get a conviction given the various circumstances of what happened during and after the rape. But as I said, there are times when the State must rise up & take a stand against criminality even when a conviction might be difficult or impossible. At least file charges for God’s sake.
And thanks for your comment. I’m glad that we agree on this one.
At least file charges for God’s sake, even if it is impossible to win. That is also what I thought after I had read your translation of her statements. If there is not even a prosecution in a case like this, and you are not allowed to speak out because of a gag order, a woman must feel completely abandoned and unprotected by the state. What on earth can she do now? Take out her savings and hire a couple of goons to beat him up? I don’t mean this of course, but people may get tempted to take justice into their own hands if the state fails them so completely.
More than just making a statement – making the case public can encourage other victims (and it sounds as if there were others) to share their story.
P.’s case may not be enough on its own, but with other complaints, Even may still get his due.
The policy in Israel seems to be against filing charges unless victory is practically guaranteed.
http://news.walla.co.il/?w=/104/1592752
In this article they claim the conviction rate (of cases brought to court in 2007) was around 98.5%, but that around half of the cases aren’t even brought to court.
One reason given in the article is that the policy helps ease relieve the highly overloaded courts (fewer cases are discussed, and many defendants, recognizing the slim chances of being acquitted, make plea bargains).
If you ask me (which no one will, since i’m not a lawyer or anything near one), this system sounds a bit twisted (with the police and prosecutors acting as judges, and the judges like rubber stamps). The article also talks (though not specifically) about cases of child molestation not brought to court, so, however sad, i think this case might not be so unusual.
I think you’re right from everthing I’ve read on these subjects. The conviction rate is the same or higher for security cases as well though for different reasons.
Remember when the the arab guy, dudu was his name, picked up the Jewish girl on a motorcycle, had consensual sex with her, and then walked away and left her with her panties down? He was sentenced to house arrest for about a year and then found guilty and sentenced to another year in jail for rape because he didn’t tell her he was arab? (details may be off, writing from memory)
There are certainly different standards in use here.
She (P) was naive to go to his house, but she that doesn’t make what he did right, or okay. The fact that he drugged her should be the screaming blatant proof of what his intentions were. Anything after that point in time, her confusion could be all chalked up to drugs.
You didn’t say (or I didn’t read) how much time passed after the rape that she talked with her friend and went to the police, and if she had a blood or urine test for the drugs, and if dr’s were able to examine her for physical tearing which would be indicative of what he did to her.
The poor girl, I’m glad she’s talking to someone to help her see that he’s manipulated her after the fact. She may not get justice through the court, but there is some natural justice that you and other courageous bloggers are delivering. I recognize that picture from before. Good going Richard, for exposing this creep.
That story is quite different than it is written here.
The rape was actual and was brutal.
that is another story of gag order that distorts the facts.
however, due to the fact it is very hard to prove a rape based on “my word Vs. his”, they came to a Burgin. What you said there is derived from the bargain of “false pretense” but it is portrayed very different from the truth or the bargain.
The true story can be read in Hebrew in this site:
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/spages/1187907.html
I will try to translate some of it:
She met this guy in the street, they talked for 10 minutes than he asked her if she wanted to see where he worked….
When we got out of the elevator he took off my … everything was in force, I did not agree to none of that ….
Her left her bleeding. She talked this her therapist and she told her to call for an ambulance…they came, I was in shock, the floor was full of blood and I was so terrified I was afraid to check myself up….
In the trial she had given her testimony and was questioned back. Later the defense wanted to call her again to testify on her past of sexual abuse, she was raped by her father at childhood, and other stuff and the prosecution then decided it was too much to put her through and went for the deal. The deal was:
The accused, who is married, falsely presented him selves as a Jew bachelor and falsely introduced himself as interested in a romantic relationship “false pretense” and asked the defendant to join him to see the building, following the false pretense the defendant joined him.
You are right. This is a COMPLETELY different story from what was written in the English edition of Haaretz.
You’ve messed things up a bit. First, the defense claimed the sex act was consensual until she discovered he wasn’t Jewish as he claimed, but Arab whereupon she changed her story & accused him of deception & rape. The woman’s attorney claimed she was physically raped. There was a plea bargain and none of this was ever proven in a court of law. So the story you’ve translated above is from her attorney.
????
So when you post a testimony it is from the victim and when someone else post it is “form her attorney” ?
What are you trying to say here ? That this is not her testimony ? That it is a lie ?
I’m sorry, I read both testimonies of both woman and I don’t see any hidden agenda there. Such agenda can always exist, but no person can see it from a victim testimony alone.
Thanks, I don’t know hebrew, the stories were different.
I didn’t know that she was actually raped. I still think that the whole arab angle thing is racist, and In my opinion his marriage shouldn’t be considered either in a case of rape. That is where the focus should have started and ended.
But to me, the two things these case have in common is that gag orders apparently distort the narrative of the events and re-victimize the females.
The portions about the past of the victims, I don’t see how that has any relevance on the case, just like with P.
From my point of view, if either of these or any women at any point before right up to the sexual act can say no. Any kind of flirtations before hand isn’t justification, or unspoken permission for men to force themselves upon the women.
I see this approach by the judges, to even delve into this area as excusing the men for failure to control their own actions, to make the female responsible the mens bad behavior because of “provocation”.
Are they just mindless hard-ons? (perhaps the women should be forced to wear burkas, as not to provoke the men into an aroused state, because we know where that leads! /s)
This line of thinking is also similar to making a woman responsible for her own beating because she wouldn’t listen.
Free Man’s acct of the story is entirely different from what I’ve read previously & I frankly don’t trust his translation of the original article. I’ll read it myself & let you know what I think.
I had the impression that ‘free man’ had posted the Haaretz-article in English too later on, but as I don’t find his comment, here’s the Lital Grossman article from Sep. 17th in English:
http://www.haaretz.com/weekend/week-s-end/from-rape-to-racism-how-and-why-did-charges-change-against-arab-man-1.314319
I’ve already had a long debate about this incident with someone who refused my statement that in Israel there are a specific charge: “being Arab” (Gideon Levy has an absolutely wonderful article by that name).
I’ve read much on this story and the Lital Grossman-article has a quite different approach.
I have difficulties, though, believing that the State of Israel would go for ‘rape by deception’ instead of rape in order to protect the victim, knowing that the whole world looked at this sentence, and judged it harshly. I have difficulties believing that the State of Isreal would show any mercy on a Palestinian from East Jerusalem. And last, but that’s maybe not fair of me, but I have difficulties believing a woman who at the age of 29 has already filed 14 charges, mostly for sexual agressions. That said, the description of that young woman and the life she’s had makes me feel like crying.
I did post it, but it was somehow removed…
rape is rape,must be looked into it,so that justice can be done
Thank you for covering this “small” story. Nothing here is “small” – it is rather symptomatic of Israel’s problems and wrongs.