Sheftel and the Azarias
Photo: Motti Kimchi
Charlie Azaria vows to carry on fight against Elor's conviction
Charlie Azaria and his son's last defense lawyer, Yoram Sheftel, both attack the IDF Military Advocate General and vow to carry on the fight with their appeal; Azaria: 'This is not just Elor's trial, but that of every IDF soldier.'
At a press conference Wednesday, Charlie Azaria said, "This is the struggle of every parent, the court that sentenced my son made a mistake. I will fight to the end, until his innocence comes to light."
Charlie Azaria made his comments with his son's only remaining defense lawyer, Yoram Sheftel.
Yoram Sheftel (left) and Charlie Azaria (right) (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
In his comments, Sheftel attacked the Military Advocate General, Brig. Gen. Sharon Afek, and claimed that Afek "threateningly blackmailed" Sgt. Elor Azaria's defense team.
Adding to this claim, Charlie Azaria said, "They told me if we appeal, the IDF will appeal. They are trying to scare the family, but my fight will continue, because this is the struggle of every parent. I won't give up."
Sheftel and the Azarias (Photo: Motti Kimchi)
Sheftel addressed the fact that Azaria's other defense attorneys—Eyal Besserglick, Ilan Katz and Karmit Scheiber—had decided earlier Wednesday not to continue representing him during an appeal process. "What led to the dramatic change in the position of the other litigators was a meeting with the head military prosecutor on Sunday, in which we were told 'if you don't file an appeal, neither will the IDF.'"
Sheftel went on to attack the tit-for-tat proposal, saying, "This is an outrageous assertion with a moral aspect—threats and extortion."
After Sheftel's remark, Charlie Azaria thanked supporters, saying, "I thank all of our supporters, which is 90% of the country for their help. This is not just Elor's trial, but every IDF soldier. From the beginning I understood they were out for my son."
