Six men were freed and fourteen held for investigation here today on charges of seditious offenses as the aftermath of a widespread series of arrests throughout Palestine on July 23 by means of which police sought to break up an alleged Revisionist terroristic organization.
As forecast yesterday by the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, six Revisionist leaders, Zur, Zimanovitch, Beneliezer, Schneiderman, Bigelman and Sharoni, were freed, Public Prosecutor Shitrit reported in magistrate’s court here this morning. No evidence was found against them, he declared.
The Revisionist leaders, Neuman, Kipnis, Feinberg, Hareven, Achimeir and Melavski, of Tel Aviv; Dviri, Halperin, Svurai and Ornstern of Jerusalem; Hafsan of Ramathgan, and Galili of Nathania, as well as Yeivin and Lichter, manager of the extremist publication, Hazit Haam, who had been released earlier and were rearrested, were held under the seditious offenses ordinance.
THREE-YEAR PENALTY
The ordinance provides a penalty of up to three years for membership in illegal associations, for acts such as attempts to overthrow the Palestine Government or that of other countries, alteration of the constitution by force, inciting hostility between classes and sections of the population and possession of seditious documents.
Prosecutor Shitrit asked that a further remand of fourteen days be granted in the case to enable the Palestine police to proceed with the translation of the numerous documents and letters seized in the searches of the homes of the arrested men. This was granted after Officer Tenenbaum of the Criminal Investigation Department declared, under oath, that there was sufficient evidence against the defendants to justify the charges on which they were held.
BAIL FOR ALL OPPOSED
A motion that the defendants all be admitted to bail was opposed by the prosecutor who agreed, however, to allow the defense attorneys to solicit for each prisoner individually, and if the police agreed, to release some of the men in bond of fifty pounds each.
The series of arrests on July 23, which followed the arrest of other Revisionists in connection with the murder in June of Dr. Chaim Arlosoroff, followed widespread rumors of the existence of a secret terroristic organization responsible in large part for the wave of political acts of violence in Palestine. All the arrested men were grilled on their possible connection with this alleged association.
One of the men arrested, Zvi Rosenblatt, has since been charged with complicity in the Arlosoroff murder case.
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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.
