Charges of disorderly conduct will be erased from the records of Ethiopian Israelis if they do not have additional criminal charges against them and if they were not given a custodial sentence for the charge, the Knesset voted into law Wednesday. Ethiopians have been experiencing institutional and individual discrimination for years, including from Israel Police, the Palmor committee found. Offenses will be erased even in closed cases and for cases in which the suspect was convicted. Ethiopian minors made up 18.5% of those incarcerated in the Ofek prison, which is nearly ten times their proportion in the population, the report added. In 2010, the indictments of some 400 and the arrest records of 6,000 protesters against the Gaza disengagement were erased, while the records of those who had prior criminal offenses or who were indicted for severe violence were not erased.

Source: Ethiopian News July 18, 2024 04:07 UTC