MOSCOW, February 7. /TASS/: Defense of Israeli national Naama Issachar, sentenced in Russia for drug smuggling and pardoned by the president, is going to file an appeal against the sentence and turn to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the defense said in a statement.
"The defense of Naama Issachar, in accordance with her instructions, prepares a complaint against the Khimki city court sentence from October 11, 2019, and against the appeal ruling by Moscow Region court from December 19, 2019, which the defense considers unlawful and unjust, leading to sentence of the innocent," the statement reads. "Besides, the defense continues to prepare a complaint to ECHR on numerous violations of rights of Naama Issachar committed during her unjustified criminal prosecution."
The complaints would be filed in the ECHR and the First Common Court of Appeals in Russia’s Saratov. The attorneys believe the presidential pardon does not mean restoration of Issachar’s violated rights.
"This can only be achieved by cancellation of the unjust sentence," the defense said.
Issachar was apprehended on April 9, 2019, in Sheremetyevo airport, where she awaited plane change during her flight from Delhi to Tel Aviv in the airport’s transit zone. Her luggage attracted a service dog, and the customs officers discovered some 10 grams of hashish in Issachar’s bag. The Khimki City court found Issachar guilty on one count of drug smuggling and one count of drug possession and sentenced her to 7,5 years.
On January 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin, who discussed Issachar’s case with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Naama’s mother Yaffa, pardoned the sentenced Israeli girl.
