Plea deal: No jail time for Blau
Haaretz journalist charged with unauthorized possession of classified IDF documents leaked by Anat Kam to perform four months community service
In the framework of a plea bargain with the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, Haaretz reporter Uri Blau will admit to illegally possessing classified IDF documents in exchange for performing four months of community service, without serving any jail time.
The District Attorney's Office announced the deal on Thursday, the same day it filed an indictment with the Tel Aviv Magistrates' Court against Blau, in which it charged him of illegally possessing a disc-on-key containing approximately 1800 "top secret" and "secret" IDF documents.
Related articles:
- Kam testimony exposed: 'I tried to be a hero'
- IPI urges AG to drop charges against Blau
- Anat Kam sentenced to 4.5 years in prison
According to the indictment, Blau received the documents from Anat Kam, who stole them from the GOC Central Command's office during her military service.
Kam was convicted of espionage and sentenced to four and a half years in prison.
'Tolerable punishment.' Blau (Photo: Yaron Brener)
The documents contained operational military information, security and situation assessments, meetings' minutes and protocols, highly sensitive intelligence information, orders of deployment and battle, drill briefings, and warfare doctrines for the West Bank. Blau held on to the leaked documents for two years until he finally handed them over to the authorities in December 2010.
The prosecution said that by holding on to the classified documents Blau could have severely compromised State security.
The reporter's arrest drew harsh criticism from many journalists, including the Jerusalem Journalists Association.
As part of the plea bargain, the court will be asked to sentence Blau to four months in prison, which will apparently be converted to four months community service.
Speaking to Ynet, Attorney Mibi Muzar, who is representing Blau along with Attorney Jacque Chen, called the plea bargain "tolerable punishment" and said it was the "best possible resolution under the circumstances."
"I hope his future in journalism has not been jeopardized as a result of what happened," Muzar added.
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop
