The family of the late Yemanu Binyamin Zalka accused the prosecution on Friday of taking a lenient approach towards the indictment of the murder suspect of 21-year-old Zalka and called on the public to protest the expected decision.
“The prosecution intends to file a lenient indictment for the murderer,” said the family in a released statement. “The entire country was horrified when it saw the brutal murder of Yemanu, but for the prosecution, that is not enough.”
The family claimed that the expected sentence for the primary suspect will allow him to be released in a few years and “start a new life while Yemanu rots in his grave.”
It also criticized the prosecution for failing to take the opportunity to create a new reality and deter the violence epidemic the country is currently facing. “They chose to stick to the dry law. At this rate, the next murder is just around the corner,” added the statement.
Several minors indicted with serious charges, say police
The family’s remarks come following the recent completion of the murder investigation. Police in the Central District transferred the case file to the Central District Attorney’s Office with recommendations to indict several minors with serious charges, said police.
The main suspect, a 15-year-old boy, is expected to be charged with murder committed with indifference, following claims by investigators that no evidence was found pointing to advanced planning, said officials.
Zalka’s family members called on the public to attend a rally on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. outside of the Central District Prosecutor’s office in Tel Aviv to protest the anticipated decision. The family hopes that the protests will convince prosecutors to change the suspect’s charges to premeditated murder.
