Today, Tuesday, a UAE court in Abu Dhabi has annulled a death sentence against an Israeli woman who was caught in the country with half a kilogram of cocaine.
The Hebrew newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, said that the Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals overturned the verdict issued against Fida Kiwan, 43, an Israeli of Arab origin, who lives in the city of Haifa (north).
The newspaper added that Kiwan has been detained in the UAE since March of last year, after local security forces found a large amount of drugs in her apartment. In April, she was sentenced to death.
בית הדין באבו דאבי ביטל את עונש המוות שגזר על האזרחית הישראלית pic.twitter.com/D3XhM4HzZL
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The newspaper pointed out that drug offenses in the United Arab Emirates are considered particularly serious – and it is usual to tighten the minimum penalty.
Since the signing of the peace agreement between Israel and the UAE, in September 2020, and the flock of Israelis to Dubai and Abu Dhabi for tourism and business, a number of Israelis have been involved in several drug smuggling cases into the Gulf country.