President Shimon Peres visited the Ayalon prison in Ramle on Tuesday morning. He spoke to prisoners and toured some of the prison’s facilities for education and rehabilitation.
During the tour Peres spoke about the prisoners who may appeal to him for a presidential pardon. For one prisoner in particular, Yigal Amir, there will never be a pardon, he said.
“His crime cannot be erased. There is no forgiveness. He needs to rot in jail and to pay the price of the murder, as we are paying it to this very day,” Peres declared.
“As long as I live, I will not forgive the murder of one of our greatest leaders,” the president added.
Amir was sentenced to life in prison for the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin.
Peres also responded to reports that former president Moshe Katzav, who was sentenced to seven years in jail for rape, has asked for a presidential pardon.
“The request has not reached me, and I prefer not to give an opinion before seeing the material,” Peres said. “However,” he added, “I am aware of the serious nature of the crime that was committed.”
