On January 26, Naama Issachar sent a petition to Russian President Vladimir Putin, her defense lawyers Vadim Klyuvgant and Alexey Dobrynin told news agency Interfax.
She made a decision to ask Putin for pardon in the wake of the Kremlin press secretary’s statement on the necessity to ‘observe made some formalities’.
Naama Issachar, a citizen of Israel and the United States, was detained at Russia’s Sheremetyevo Airport in April 2019. She was having a transfer from Delhi to Tel Aviv, and 9.6 grams of hashish were found in her backpack. In November, Issachar was convicted of possessing and smuggling drugs and sentenced to 7.5 years in a Russian penal colony.
As reported earlier, Israel’s Prime Minister and President appealed to the Russian leader in the case of Naama Issachar; so did the girl’s mother. As far back as January 23, the foreigner refused to plead Putin for mercy.
In late December, Israel agreed to hand over Alexander’s court in Jerusalem to Russia. The historic building is located 70 metres from the Holy Sepulcher Church. Presumably, the authorities took such a step in exchange for Russia’s releasing Naama Issachar, Meduza.io reports with reference to Israeli media outlets.
