Sister of Murder Victim Runs for Knesset to Reform Criminal Justice System
Lili Ben-Ami announced her candidacy for the Knesset on September 15, the seventh anniversary of her sister Michal Sela's brutal murder. Sela, 32, was killed by her husband in front of their infant daughter. The husband deliberately delayed calling for medical help for nearly 17 hours, ensuring her death before claiming she committed suicide. Ben-Ami, a high-tech professional, has led the Michal Sela Foundation for seven years, a project dedicated to saving women's lives. Her political bid aims to end femicides in Israel and toughen penalties for domestic violence.
Ben-Ami's activism began after her sister's death, leading to the creation of the Michal Sela Forum. She successfully advocated for a law revoking parental rights for individuals who murder or assault their spouse or abuse their children. The forum has developed AI-powered panic buttons, home protection programs, and trained service dogs for at-risk women. These initiatives have aided 52 women, including Russian-speaking immigrants, and protective equipment has been installed in over 1,000 Israeli homes.
The law, popularly known as the "Michal Sela Law," was enacted after Ben-Ami was informed that her niece would still have to visit her father in prison and that he would retain decision-making power over the child's life. She collaborated with Knesset member Oded Forer of the Yisrael Beiteinu party to draft the legislation, which prevents convicted murderers from controlling their orphaned children's lives.
Ben-Ami believes Israel's justice system needs internal reform, describing it as a "paradise for criminals." She criticizes the lack of an open registry for serious offenders, the ability of convicted murderers to change names after release, and the practice of granting prison furloughs without electronic monitoring. She highlighted a case where a woman unknowingly entered a relationship with a man who had murdered his wife, served time, and changed his name, emphasizing the danger posed by the absence of such a registry.
Joining the Yisrael Beiteinu party, Ben-Ami is running with the 11th position on their list. Her primary legislative goal is to ban prison furloughs for murderers, arguing that rehabilitation efforts are misplaced when victims cannot be brought back to life. She stated that excessive leniency towards violent offenders ultimately harms innocent people and called for an immediate end to this practice.
