A letter from Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations Chairman, Robert G. Sugarman, and Executive Vice Chairman, Malcolm Hoenlein, called on President Barack Obama to commute the sentence of Jonathan Pollard and secure his release during this holiday period. Pollard has served longer than any person convicted of a similar offense and his sentence should be commuted to the 28 years he has already served.
“We note the public calls and support for Mr. Pollard’s release that have come from many of those who were involved in his prosecution or are otherwise in a position to make responsible judgment, including former Secretaries of State Henry Kissinger and George Shultz, former CIA Director James Woolsey, former Assistant Secretary of Defense Lawrence Korb, former National Security Advisor Robert MacFarlane, most recently Governor Bill Richardson, and William Webster, the head of the FBI at the time of Pollard’s arrest, who said that he no longer opposes his release. Some of them have stepped up their advocacy because of the recent revelations regarding US activities vis-a-vis Israel. This is foremost a matter of justice and humanity. He has suffered and paid a heavy price for his crime, for which he has publicly expressed remorse.
“We hope that in this holiday season, as we approach the new year with hope and expectation, that this request would be considered favorably and that Mr. and Mrs. Pollard would be allowed to rebuild their lives after his having served more than 10,000 days in prison.”
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