Convicted spy Jonathan Pollard’s motion for reduction of his life sentence was denied here last week by the federal district court judge who pronounced the sentence, Aubrey Robinson.
Pollard was not present and the judge made no comment when issuing his ruling. Pollard was sentenced in March for espionage on behalf of Israel.
David Turner, director of the New York-based Justice for the Pollards committee, said the motion was made on the grounds that the federal government overstated the damage of Pollard’s activities, that the government reneged on its plea-bargain agreement with Pollard for a lenient sentence in exchange for full cooperation and that in reneging, the government set precedent for lack of trust.
Pollard’s former attorney, Richard Hivey, had filed the appeal. Alan Dershowitz, a professor at Harvard University, is now serving as Pollard’s attorney.
A request to reduce the sentence of Pollard’s wife, Anne Henderson Pollard, was declined Dec. 18. She is serving two concurrent five-year terms after being convicted as an accessory to her husband’s espionage activities on behalf of Israel.
Her attorney, Nathan Dershowitz, has filed an appeal in federal appeals court in the District of Columbia.
The attorney emphasized that prison officials have prohibited journalists from interviewing her. He said The New York Times received a letter Thursday denying its request to interview her and asking for submission of a list of questions to be approved by prison and Navy authorities.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
