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Jerusalem (AFP) – The lawyer of an Arab-Israeli woman confirmed that his client had been sentenced to death by an Emirati court on charges of drug possession, indicating his intention to file an appeal against the verdict.
Fida Kiwan, 43, from Haifa (north), was arrested last year, after half a kilogram of cocaine was found in her home in Dubai.
Her family said that the drugs that were found did not belong to her, while her brother confirmed to the Israeli public broadcaster that his sister’s confession came under beating.
“The appeal can be lodged within 30 days, so we are planning for that,” her lawyer, Tammy Ullman, told AFP. He also stressed that he was working “to work with all the authorities in Israel and the world to help them.”
The Israeli Foreign Ministry said it was aware of the case “through the Department of Israelis Abroad and the Israeli Mission to the United Arab Emirates”.
Kiwan’s friend, who preferred not to reveal her name, confirmed to AFP that her friend had been living in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank before she moved to Dubai.
She added that Kiwan “was a bit lost, but she is a good person and does not deserve what happened.”
She expressed her hope that the Israeli government and people will intensify their efforts to help her, as happened with a Jewish woman who holds dual American and Israeli citizenships, who was also convicted in Russia of drug possession in 2019.
The Russian authorities released Naama Issachar after former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intervened in the case.
“When the Israeli woman, Naama Issachar, was imprisoned in Russia, the government and people of Israel did everything they could until she was finally released,” Kiwan’s brother said.
He added, “Let’s see what they will do for redemption and what the Arab members of the Knesset (parliament) can do.”
In September 2020, Israel signed, under US sponsorship, an agreement to normalize relations with the UAE, and the total trade exchange between them amounted to about $900 million last year, according to official Israeli statistics.
© 2022 AFP