US-Israeli Woman Freed after Putin Pardon

World

January 30th, 6:58am

Asharq Al-Awsat

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attend a meeting at the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre in Moscow, Russia January 29, 2018. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via REUTERS

Russia on Thursday freed a US-Israeli woman jailed on drug charges after President Vladimir Putin granted her a pardon, the prison service said. "Due to the presidential decree on pardoning, Naama Issachar has been freed from prison," it said in a statement. Issachar, who was born in New Jersey, was arrested in April last year after police found nine grams of cannabis in her bags during a stopover at a Moscow airport. Her release comes ahead of talks in Moscow between Putin and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Putin met the woman’s mother in Jerusalem last Thursday. He reassured Yaffa Issachar, but stopped short of announcing her daughter’s release. Putin was among dozens of world leaders in Jerusalem to mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Standing next to Putin, Netanyahu thanked the Russian leader for meeting the woman's mother. "It was a very moving meeting," he said. "I thank you very much for the gesture, my friend, the president."

from Asharq AL-awsat https://aawsat.com/english/home/article/2106451/us-israeli-woman-freed-after-putin-pardon