Close to 200 singing yeshiva students accompanied Rabbi and Mrs. Zalman Baruch Melamed on their way out of Beit El to the Jerusalem Magistrates Courthouse this morning. The two, as well as eight other directors, broadcasters and employees of Arutz-7, took part in a pre-sentencing session, following their conviction a month ago for broadcasting illegally. Rabbi Melamed told his students, just before leaving Beit El, "We know that from every setback, we grow stronger." The singing students then resumed: "Take counsel together [O nations], and it shall come to naught... for G-d is with us." (Isaiah 8)
Rabbi Melamed told Arutz-7's Yigal Shok what he was planning to tell the judge today:
"...Not only were we ten defendants put on trial, but many more people as well: the hundreds of people who have regular programs on Arutz-7, including the Chief Rabbis, the Knesset Speaker, Cabinet ministers, Knesset Members, leading lawyers, professors, thinkers, and more. The Prosecution has also put on trial, together with us, the thousands of contributors who are our partners, as well as the hundreds of thousands of listeners who are so greatly in need of the media that Arutz-7 offers.
"The media silencing of such a large public creates a gash in the nation, and the court proceedings against Arutz-7 make it even worse. This is not a criminal suit, as the Prosecution wishes to claim - because one cannot put on trial the hundreds of thousands of people who are full partners in the existence of the station. These people identify not only with the people behind Arutz-7, but with the actual act of founding and running the station.
"Together with Arutz-7, an entire public has been convicted for having dared to found a medium that meets its needs, and for having fought for free communication."
Arutz-7's Effie Meir reported from the courthouse that the prosecution asked for prison sentences for four of the defendants - Mrs. Shulamit Melamed, Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), engineer Ya'ir Meir, and Haggai Segal - although it said it would settle for "public service" for Segal. The lawyers said they don't demand prison time for Rabbi Melamed, who was not involved in the day-to-day running of the station; nor for Yoel Tzur, in light of his "personal situation" - his wife and son were murdered by terrorists almost seven years ago - but rather a large fine, together with "public service" that would enable him to return home each day.
The prosecution also asked for large fines of hundreds of thousands of shekels each for Rabbi Melamed, Ketzaleh, and Segal, and smaller fines for French department head David Shapira and broadcaster Gideon Sharon. No punishment was asked for fiery nationalist broadcaster Adir Zyk, in view of his ill health, and a fine was requested for the ship's captain, Sha'ul Avni, because of his advanced age.
The Prosecution explained why, in its opinion, the judge should mete out significantly harsher sentences than in other cases of illegal broadcasting: because Arutz-7 broadcast over a period of 15 years, and over several channels, and not only from the sea, and because the defendants are public leaders and "positive people" who must serve as an example. Arutz-7 sources stated that these points actually work in favor of Arutz-7: It broadcast for such a long time and over more than one station precisely because it has such a large audience. In addition, it is precisely these "positive people" who invested so much time and effort to provide hundreds of thousands of people with the Jewish and educational programming that they wanted.
During a break in the court proceedings, before the defense team began to present its case, Adir Zyk said he regretted that his ill health prevents him from "facing the music" like all the others.
Rabbi Melamed told Arutz-7's Yigal Shok what he was planning to tell the judge today:
"...Not only were we ten defendants put on trial, but many more people as well: the hundreds of people who have regular programs on Arutz-7, including the Chief Rabbis, the Knesset Speaker, Cabinet ministers, Knesset Members, leading lawyers, professors, thinkers, and more. The Prosecution has also put on trial, together with us, the thousands of contributors who are our partners, as well as the hundreds of thousands of listeners who are so greatly in need of the media that Arutz-7 offers.
"The media silencing of such a large public creates a gash in the nation, and the court proceedings against Arutz-7 make it even worse. This is not a criminal suit, as the Prosecution wishes to claim - because one cannot put on trial the hundreds of thousands of people who are full partners in the existence of the station. These people identify not only with the people behind Arutz-7, but with the actual act of founding and running the station.
"Together with Arutz-7, an entire public has been convicted for having dared to found a medium that meets its needs, and for having fought for free communication."
Arutz-7's Effie Meir reported from the courthouse that the prosecution asked for prison sentences for four of the defendants - Mrs. Shulamit Melamed, Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), engineer Ya'ir Meir, and Haggai Segal - although it said it would settle for "public service" for Segal. The lawyers said they don't demand prison time for Rabbi Melamed, who was not involved in the day-to-day running of the station; nor for Yoel Tzur, in light of his "personal situation" - his wife and son were murdered by terrorists almost seven years ago - but rather a large fine, together with "public service" that would enable him to return home each day.
The prosecution also asked for large fines of hundreds of thousands of shekels each for Rabbi Melamed, Ketzaleh, and Segal, and smaller fines for French department head David Shapira and broadcaster Gideon Sharon. No punishment was asked for fiery nationalist broadcaster Adir Zyk, in view of his ill health, and a fine was requested for the ship's captain, Sha'ul Avni, because of his advanced age.
The Prosecution explained why, in its opinion, the judge should mete out significantly harsher sentences than in other cases of illegal broadcasting: because Arutz-7 broadcast over a period of 15 years, and over several channels, and not only from the sea, and because the defendants are public leaders and "positive people" who must serve as an example. Arutz-7 sources stated that these points actually work in favor of Arutz-7: It broadcast for such a long time and over more than one station precisely because it has such a large audience. In addition, it is precisely these "positive people" who invested so much time and effort to provide hundreds of thousands of people with the Jewish and educational programming that they wanted.
During a break in the court proceedings, before the defense team began to present its case, Adir Zyk said he regretted that his ill health prevents him from "facing the music" like all the others.