After lengthy negotiations, the state announced Thursday morning that it had agreed to pay Roman Zadorov 17 million shekels ($5 million) in damages for the 15 years he served behind bars for the 2006 murder of schoolgirl Tair Rada. Zadorov was acquitted in a retrial in 2023.
This is an exceptionally high compensation package by Israeli standards, and the largest ever awarded to a person who was convicted, served time, and was later exonerated. Following the negotiations, the state submitted the settlement Thursday to the Tel Aviv District Court for approval.
The State Attorney's Office declined to comment. Zadorov's attorneys, Yoram Halevy and Galit Karner, said, "No comment."
Zadorov was convicted in September 2010 of murdering 13-year-old Tair Rada in a bathroom stall at the Nofei Golan school in Katzrin, where he worked and lived. He confessed during questioning, was indicted for murder, and was unanimously convicted by the Nazareth District Court in 2010, receiving a life sentence. Two and a half years later, his conviction was reaffirmed on appeal. His subsequent appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected.
In 2021, his request for a retrial was accepted, and in March 2023, the Nazareth District Court acquitted him in a two-to-one ruling. Presiding Judge Asher Kula determined that Zadorov's confession had been coerced and was therefore false.
