Naama Issachar affair

In April 2019 in Sheremetyevo International Airport, Russian authorities arrested Israeli-American Naama Issachar (Hebrew: נעמה יששכר), a transit passenger flying from India to Israel, for alleged drug smuggling after some 10 grams of marijuana or hashish[1] were found in her bag during a stopover in Moscow.[2] On 11 October 2019 a Russian court sentenced her to seven and a half years in prison on drug possession and smuggling charges.[3] Issachar's family and Israeli officials said that Russia told them she would be released if Aleksey Burkov (Russian: Алексей Бурков), a Russian national pending extradition from Israel to the United States on suspicion of committing cyber crimes, was released to Russia.[4] Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu subsequently personally requested from Russian President Vladimir Putin a pardon for Issachar,[5] which Putin said he would consider.[6] Israel's High Court ultimately rejected Burkov's appeal against his extradition, leading Russia to condemn the decision as "a breach ... of Israel's international obligations", stating that the decision "does not contribute to the development of [Russian-Israeli] relations".[7]

Road sign over Israeli Highway 1 calling for the release of Naama Issachar
Yafa Issachar (left), mother of Naama Issachar, meets with Benjamin Netanyahu and Vladimir Putin during Putin's visit to Israel on January 23, 2020

On 19 October 2019 rallies were held in Tel Aviv and in New York City calling for Issachar's release.[8] Billboards were put up in Israel calling on Putin to "please bring Naama home."[9]

In December 2019, the Israeli Justice Ministry transferred the historical Alexander compound in Jerusalem to the Putin-allied Imperial Orthodox Palestine Society from the competing Imperial Orthodox Palestine Historic Society, which many commentators linked to negotiating Issachar's release.[10] On 29 January 2020 President Putin signed her pardon.[11] Her attorney previously noted that no convicted foreigner was ever pardoned by a Russian President before.[12]

See also

Further reading
  • Snow, Kate; Lozano, Alicia Victoria (July 13, 2022). "Before Brittney Griner, an American Israeli woman was held in a Russian prison for having cannabis". NBC News.

References
  1. "Russia seeking to jail Israeli woman for up to 8 years after she was found carrying hashish". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 2020-12-13. Retrieved 2020-07-03.
  2. "Russian media releases photo of jailed Israeli Naama Issachar". The Times of Israel. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 8 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. "How a Few Grams of Pot Turned an American-Israeli Into a Geopolitical Pawn". The New York Times. 12 October 2019. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 15 December 2019.
  4. "Suspected hacker's extradition focuses attention on Israeli-American in Russian jail". NBC News. 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 11 February 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  5. "Netanyahu asks Putin personally for Naama Issachar pardon". The Jerusalem Post. 22 October 2019. Archived from the original on 18 May 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  6. "Netanyahu, Putin speak ahead of visit by Russian leader to Israel next month". The Times of Israel. 6 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 December 2019. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  7. "Russia condemns Israel's rejection of hacker's appeal against extradition". The Jerusalem Post. 11 November 2019. Archived from the original on 27 May 2020. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  8. "Rallies held in Tel Aviv, New York for release of Israeli jailed in Russia". The Times of Israel. October 19, 2019. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2020.
  9. "Russia court rejects appeal by Israeli-American jailed on drugs charges". AFP. 19 December 2019. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
  10. "Putin to meet with Naama Issachar's mother in Jerusalem". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Archived from the original on 2020-12-11. Retrieved 2021-07-12.
  11. "Russian President Putin signed decree to pardon Naama Issachar". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. Archived from the original on 2020-01-29. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
  12. staff, T. O. I. "Moscow governor signs Naama Issachar's pardon, leaving only Putin". www.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on 2020-03-11. Retrieved 2020-01-29.
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