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Criminal Procedure (Interrogation of Suspects) Law, 5762-2002

חוק סדר הדין הפלילי (חקירת חשודים), תשס"ב-2002

Published: 2002-07-04Consolidated Hebrew text as of 2026-08-04 · Last amended 2026-07-29✓ Amendment status checked against the Knesset legislation record on 2026-09-28
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Unofficial English translation — for reference only. It may contain errors or omissions and cannot be relied on as a legal text. Only the Hebrew text published in Reshumot is legally binding.More

This English text was translated from the official Hebrew using a range of translation tools, and it undergoes ongoing checks and updates. It is not a certified translation.

Despite these checks, it may contain errors, omissions, or imprecise renderings of legal terminology and cross-references, and it may not yet reflect the latest amendments. It cannot be relied upon as a legal text.

The Hebrew text as published in Reshumot (ספר החוקים) and on the Knesset website is the sole authoritative and legally binding version. In any discrepancy, the Hebrew text prevails.

This translation is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For use in legal proceedings, request a certified Expert Legal Opinion.

Chapter I: General Provisions

Definitions§

1.

In this Law –

"interrogation" – questioning or taking a statement in connection with an offence, by a police officer;

"suspect" – a person suspected of committing an offence;

"Evidence Ordinance" – the Criminal Procedure Ordinance (Evidence);

"recording" – including a diskette, compact disc and any other means of storing and retaining information produced by a visual or audio recording device by which an interrogation of a suspect has been documented;

"supervising officer" – the officer in charge of investigations at the police station or the officer in charge of the investigating unit responsible for the interrogation, and in their absence – their deputies;

"police officer" – a police officer who is authorised to investigate pursuant to section 2 of the Evidence Ordinance;

"visual documentation" – documentation by means of combined image and sound recording;

"audio documentation" – documentation by means of sound recording.

Interrogation in the Suspect's Language§

2.

The interrogation of a suspect shall be conducted in his language or in a language that the suspect understands and speaks, including sign language.

Interrogation at a Police Station§

3.
(a)The interrogation of a suspect shall be conducted at a police station (in this Law – station), unless the police officer considered that it is not possible to conduct it at the station or that there is a substantive need to conduct it urgently outside the station, or if the supervising officer considered that there is a substantive need to interrogate the suspect outside the station.
(b)A decision to conduct the interrogation of a suspect outside the station and the reasons therefor shall be documented in writing as soon as practicable after the decision is made.

Documentation of the Interrogation of a Suspect§

4.
(a)Visual documentation or audio documentation of the interrogation of a suspect shall cover the entire course of the interrogation from its commencement to its conclusion and shall include the exchanges between an interrogator and a suspect or in the presence of the suspect, and in the case of visual documentation, including reactions or bodily movements.
(b)Written documentation of the interrogation of a suspect shall include the substance of the exchanges as well as the reactions or bodily movements that serve as a substitute for exchanges, between an interrogator and a suspect or in the presence of a suspect, in a manner that faithfully reflects what takes place in the interrogation from its commencement to its conclusion; the written documentation shall be prepared simultaneously with the interrogation of the suspect or as soon as practicable thereafter.

Rules Regarding Interrogation§

5.
(a)The Minister of Public Security, in consultation with the Minister of Justice and with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, shall prescribe –
(1)rules regarding the conduct of the interrogation of a suspect, including duties and prohibitions imposed on a police interrogator;
(2)methods of supervision over compliance with the rules applicable to the interrogation of a suspect;
(3)that the breach of rules as referred to in paragraph (1), in whole or in part, or the breach thereof in certain circumstances, constitutes a disciplinary offence as defined in the Police Law, 5766-2005.
(b)Regulations as referred to in subsection (a), with respect to the interrogation of a suspect in a security offence, as defined in section 35(b) of the Criminal Procedure Law (Enforcement Powers – Arrests), 5756-1996 (in this Law – a suspect in a security offence), shall be prescribed in consultation with the Prime Minister, in addition to the conditions referred to in subsection (a).

Application of the Provisions of the Evidence Ordinance§

6.

The provisions of Part 1 of the Evidence Ordinance shall apply to the interrogation of a suspect subject to the provisions of this Law.

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Chapter II: Interrogation of a Suspect at a Station

Means of Documentation of an Interrogation at a Station§

7.

The following provisions shall apply to the documentation of the interrogation of a suspect at a station:

(1)the interrogation of a suspect in an offence from among the offences listed in the Schedule shall be documented by visual documentation, except in the circumstances referred to in paragraph (2);
(2)the supervising officer may, subject to the provisions of sections 8(2) or (3) or 11(a)(2), direct that the interrogation of a suspect in an offence from among the offences listed in the Schedule be documented by audio documentation or written documentation instead of visual documentation, if due to a technical malfunction or due to a substantive need it is not possible to document the interrogation of the suspect by visual documentation; a direction as aforesaid shall be given in writing and shall include the reasons therefor; where the circumstances preventing visual documentation have ceased to exist, the continuation of the interrogation shall be documented by visual documentation;
(3)the interrogation of a suspect in an offence not listed in the Schedule, and to which the provisions of sections 8(2) or (3) or 11(a)(2) do not apply, shall be documented by visual documentation, audio documentation or written documentation.

Documentation in the Suspect's Language§

8.

The following provisions shall apply with respect to the language of documentation of the interrogation of a suspect at a station:

(1)where the interrogation of a suspect has been documented in writing only, the documentation shall be in the language in which the interrogation was conducted;
(2)where it is not possible to document in writing the interrogation of a suspect in the language in which it is being conducted, the interrogation shall be documented by visual documentation or audio documentation; however, if the interrogation was conducted in sign language, it shall be documented by visual documentation only;
(3)where the police officer had reason to believe that the suspect is illiterate or that the suspect is a person with a disability that makes it difficult for him to confirm the accuracy of the written documentation of the interrogation, the interrogation shall be documented by visual documentation or audio documentation;
(4)for the purposes of this section and section 10, "disability" – a physical, mental or intellectual impairment, including a cognitive one, whether permanent or temporary.

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Chapter III: Interrogation of a Suspect Outside a Station

Means of Documentation Outside a Station§

9.

The interrogation of a suspect outside a station shall be documented by visual documentation, audio documentation or written documentation; however, a reconstruction of the offence by the suspect shall be documented by visual documentation only.

Documentation in the Suspect's Language§

10.

The following provisions shall apply with respect to the language of documentation of the interrogation of a suspect outside a station:

(1)where the interrogation of a suspect has been documented in writing only, the documentation shall be in the language in which the interrogation was conducted, unless it was not possible to document it simultaneously or in close proximity thereto in that language;
(2)where the interrogation of a suspect was not documented in the language in which it was conducted, as referred to in paragraph (1), the documentation shall be translated before the suspect into a language that the suspect understands for the purpose of complying with the provisions of section 11, and a written translation into that language shall be appended to the written documentation;
(3)where the interrogation of a suspect who is illiterate or who is a person with a disability that makes it difficult for him to understand the documentation has been documented in writing only, the written documentation shall be read before him and its contents shall be explained to him, for the purpose of complying with the provisions of section 11.

Presentation and Confirmation of Documentation Made Outside a Station§

11.
(a)Where a suspect has been interrogated outside a station in an offence from among the offences listed in the Schedule, the following provisions shall apply:
(1)the documentation of the interrogation shall be presented to the suspect at the station as soon as practicable, and he shall be requested to confirm it; however, the supervising officer may, for special reasons that shall be recorded, approve the presentation of the documentation to the suspect at the station at a later date;
(2)notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph (1), where an interrogator becomes aware, during the conduct of the interrogation, that it will not be possible to bring the suspect to the station within a reasonable proximate time, the documentation shall be presented to the suspect at the place where the interrogation was conducted and he shall be requested to confirm it;
(3)the presentation of the documentation to the suspect at the station and the process of its confirmation as referred to in paragraph (1) shall be documented by visual documentation or audio documentation.
(b)Where a suspect has been interrogated outside a station in an offence not from among the offences listed in the Schedule, and the interrogation was documented in writing, the documentation shall be presented to the suspect at the place where the interrogation was conducted and he shall be requested to confirm it; where the suspect did not confirm the documentation at the place of interrogation, the documentation shall be presented to the suspect at the station as soon as practicable, and the suspect shall be requested to confirm it, unless the supervising officer approved, for special reasons that shall be recorded, the presentation of the documentation to the suspect at the station at a later date.

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Chapter IV: Miscellaneous Provisions

Additional Provisions Regarding Visual Documentation and Audio Documentation§

12.
(a)No alteration whatsoever shall be made to a recording.
(b)The Minister of Public Security shall make Regulations with respect to visual documentation and audio documentation of the interrogation of a suspect under this Law, including the methods of preservation, storage, viewing and copying of a recording.
(c)The Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Security shall jointly make Regulations with respect to the preparation of a printed transcript from visual documentation or audio documentation of the interrogation of a suspect, and where necessary, with respect to the translation of the transcript.
(d)The Minister of Public Security may prescribe a fee for the copying of a recording.

Prohibition of Publication of a Recording – Penalties§

13.

A person who publishes visual or audio documentation of an interrogation, in whole or in part, without the permission of a court, is liable to one year's imprisonment; for the purposes of this section, "interrogation" – includes an interrogation by another authority empowered to investigate under any law, in respect of which an Order has been issued pursuant to section 16(c).

Amendment of the Schedule§

14.

The Minister of Public Security may, with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, add offences to the offences in the Schedule.

Implementation and Regulations§

15.

The Minister of Public Security is responsible for the implementation of this Law and may, with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, make Regulations for its implementation.

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Chapter V: Commencement and Application

Commencement and Application§

16.
(a)This Law shall commence, except for section 8(2), one year from the date of its publication (hereinafter – the commencement date).
(b)Subject to the provisions of subsection (b1), the imposition of the obligation to document the interrogation of a suspect by visual documentation or audio documentation under this Law, except under section 8(2) and sections 8(3), 9 and 11(a)(3), shall be effected by Orders issued by the Minister of Public Security, gradually, from the commencement date, according to the gravity of offences, provided that by the 5th of Tevet 5769 (1 January 2009) the obligation to document as aforesaid shall apply to offences punishable by 15 years' imprisonment or more, and that by the 15th of Tevet 5770 (1 January 2010) the obligation to document as aforesaid shall also apply to offences punishable by 10 to 15 years' imprisonment.
(b1)The obligation to document the interrogation of a suspect by visual documentation or audio documentation under this Law shall apply to –
(1)an offence under section 300 of the Penal Law, 5737-1977 (in this section – the Penal Law) – on the 7th of Av 5766 (1 August 2006);
(2)an offence under section 298 of the Penal Law that is not a traffic offence as defined in the Traffic Ordinance [New Version] – on the 17th of Av 5767 (1 August 2007).
(c)The Minister of Public Security may, by Order, with the approval of the competent Minister in consultation with the Minister of Justice, and with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, apply the provisions of this Law, in whole or in part, and with such modifications as are required, to another authority empowered to investigate under any law; however, with respect to the interrogation of suspects under the Military Justice Law, 5715-1955, the said power shall be vested in the Minister of Defence, in consultation with the Minister of Justice, and with the approval of the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee; in this section, "competent Minister" – the Minister responsible for the authority empowered to investigate.

Monitoring the Implementation and Execution of the Law§

16a.
(a)The Minister of Public Security and the Minister of Justice shall report to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, by the 13th of Shevat 5767 (1 February 2007), on a multi-year plan regarding preparedness for the implementation of the obligation to document the interrogation of a suspect by visual documentation or audio documentation as referred to in section 16(b).
(b)During the period from the 7th of Av 5766 (1 August 2006) to the 17th of Shevat 5770 (1 February 2010), the Minister of Public Security and the Minister of Justice shall report to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset every six months (in this subsection – the reporting period) on the state of implementation and execution of the Law; the report shall include, inter alia, details of all of the following, in respect of the reporting period:
(1)the number of interrogations that were carried out in respect of each offence from among the offences listed in the Schedule;
(2)the number of interrogations that were documented by visual documentation as referred to in section 7, as well as the number of interrogations that were so documented and also transcribed;
(3)the costs involved in the implementation and execution of the Law, including the costs involved in the transcription of interrogations.

Interrogation of a Suspect in a Security Offence§

17.
(a)The obligation to document the interrogation of a suspect by visual documentation or audio documentation under sections 7 and 11 shall not apply to the interrogation of a suspect in a security offence; however, random supervision and monitoring of such interrogations shall be carried out, as shall be prescribed in internal procedures of the Israel Police, with the approval of the Minister of Public Security and the Attorney General, provided that the supervising authority shall be enabled to carry out supervision and monitoring of all interrogations being conducted at any time, without prior notice and without the knowledge of the interrogators, and a record shall be kept of the conduct of the inspection.
(b)The Minister of Public Security and the Minister of Justice shall report to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee of the Knesset, on 1 July of each year, on the implementation of the provisions of this section.

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Schedule (Section 7)

Offences for which the maximum penalty prescribed is ten years' imprisonment or more.

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