UAE Sentences Israeli Woman To Death For Possession Of 500 Grams Of Cocaine
An Israeli woman was sentenced to death in a United Arab Emirates court for possessing 500 grams of cocaine.
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The Israeli woman, 43-year-old Fida Kiwan from Haifa who was working in the UAE, was taken into custody in March of 2021 and alleged that the drugs were not hers. The court in Abu Dhabi assigned the death sentence, although, in the UAE, death penalties are usually not entirely carried out and usually is replaced with another penalty. The woman’s lawyer is determined to file an appeal against the sentence.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry shared that, “the case is known to us and we are handling it through the Israeli missions around the world and the ministry’s representatives in the Emirates.”
Her lawyers also stated, that there is no formal repatriation agreement between the UAE and Israel.
The institution of diplomatic associations between Israel and the UAE, as part of the Abraham Accords, approved in 2020, has overseen a rise in Israeli visitors to the UAE. Not all of them have been visitors and businesspeople. “Our Dubai office noticed a rise in criminal cases that Israeli citizens are part of,” said Agmon. “Israelis have to understand that the legal authorities in Dubai treat drug cases seriously.”