Crime Victims' Rights Law (Amendment No. 18) Bill

What does the bill do?

The law expands the circle of family members to also include grandparents, grandchildren, uncles and aunts, and nephews and nieces, in order to address cases in which no family members from the close circles, as currently detailed in the law, remain alive. The law allows the family members of a person killed as a result of an act of terror or hostile acts from October 7 to 9, 2023 to receive the deceased's rights according to an order of priority detailed in the law. With regard to crime victims who were abducted, it was provided that granting the rights to a family member will be subject to an examination of harm to the hostage's privacy. If the district attorney or a senior official in the State Attorney's Office whom they authorized determines that a certain right or information would harm the hostage's privacy, it will not be provided. In addition, it was provided that the crime victim, or someone on their behalf who is entitled to receive their rights under the law, may consent to transferring the exercise of the rights to another person, and if this concerns a family member of a hostage, provided they declared in writing a personal closeness between the hostage and that person.