15 oct 2019
The British teen arrives at court in Cyprus in August
Unnamed 19-year-old says she was pushed by Cypriot authorities to retract claims of gang rape by 12 young Israelis at hotel in Aiya Napa in July; I felt my life was in danger,' she says
The British young woman who is accused of falsely filing a gang-rape charge against 12 Israeli tourists gave her first testimony at her trial in Cyprus on Tuesday.
At the court in the city of Paralimni she recalled the incidents of the night in which, according to the 19-year-old, she was coerced to retract from her initial complaint of being gang-raped by Israeli teens in Aiya Napa.
The teen said that she was immensely pressurized by the Cypriot investigators, in order for her to admit to making a false accusation, Haaretz newspaper reported. When asked by her defense lawyer if she was raped, she answered affirmatively.
“I feared for my life,” the teen was cited by Haaretz as saying during the trial and explained that she didn’t believe the investigators would let her go unless she signed a confession document proposed to her.
She told the court that one of the investigators kept telling her that “clearly there was no rape” in the case and that he has a video from the night of the alleged rape where she is seen having consensual group sex.
Asking to see the video, the investigator refused, the British woman said in her testimony.
Following their exchange, she left the room of the investigators because of her PTSD syndrome, the teen said in the courtroom. On Wednesday, she is expected to be cross-examined on the witness stand.
If convicted, she could face up to one year in prison and a fine of around $1,850.
Unnamed 19-year-old says she was pushed by Cypriot authorities to retract claims of gang rape by 12 young Israelis at hotel in Aiya Napa in July; I felt my life was in danger,' she says
The British young woman who is accused of falsely filing a gang-rape charge against 12 Israeli tourists gave her first testimony at her trial in Cyprus on Tuesday.
At the court in the city of Paralimni she recalled the incidents of the night in which, according to the 19-year-old, she was coerced to retract from her initial complaint of being gang-raped by Israeli teens in Aiya Napa.
The teen said that she was immensely pressurized by the Cypriot investigators, in order for her to admit to making a false accusation, Haaretz newspaper reported. When asked by her defense lawyer if she was raped, she answered affirmatively.
“I feared for my life,” the teen was cited by Haaretz as saying during the trial and explained that she didn’t believe the investigators would let her go unless she signed a confession document proposed to her.
She told the court that one of the investigators kept telling her that “clearly there was no rape” in the case and that he has a video from the night of the alleged rape where she is seen having consensual group sex.
Asking to see the video, the investigator refused, the British woman said in her testimony.
Following their exchange, she left the room of the investigators because of her PTSD syndrome, the teen said in the courtroom. On Wednesday, she is expected to be cross-examined on the witness stand.
If convicted, she could face up to one year in prison and a fine of around $1,850.
Yafa Issachar
Naama Issachar's attorneys officially appeal the 7.5 year prison term and warn Israel against extraditing the Russian national suspected of cyber offences against the Americans
The lawyer of an Israeli jailed in Russia for drug offenses said on Tuesday the extradition of a Russian hacker to the United States will “complicate our situation.”
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis, her family said. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling.
"The extradition procedure will complicate our situation,” said Alexandra Teitz.
Sources told Ynet on Monday that Justice Minister Amir Ohana is expected to sign off on the extradition request for Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
The mother of the 26-year-old woman, Yafa, said on Monday “it doesn't make sense” for Israel to extradite the hacker while Russia holds her daughter as a “bargaining chip.”
“I don't think that's going to happen, I want to believe it won't."
In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday will officially ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to grant clemency to Issachar. This will be Israel's second clemency request after President Reuven Rivlin appealed to the Russian leader on Friday.
Issachar’s lawyers on Monday officially appealed the sentence.
Netanyahu sends Putin official clemency request for jailed Israeli
Naama Issachar is serving a 7.5-year sentence in Russia for having 9 grams of marijuana in her bag during a stopover in Moscow en route from India to Israel in April
Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted an official request to Russian President Vladimir Putin for clemency for an Israeli woman jailed in Russia over drug offences, his office said Tuesday.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis, her family said. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling.
Her family says she is being punished disproportionately to pressure Israel into freeing a Russian held in Israel on a U.S. extradition request.
Netanyahu's request comes after President Reuven Rivlin made a similar appeal to Putin last week.
"Naama made a grave mistake and has admitted her crime, but in the case of a young woman with no criminal record, the severe sentence handed down will have a deeply destructive impact on her life," Rivlin wrote in a letter to his Russian counterpart.
"Because of the particular and individual circumstances of Naama Issachar’s case, I am appealing to your mercy and compassion with a request for your personal intervention to grant her an extraordinary pardon,” Rivlin wrote.
Issachar’s lawyers on Monday officially appealed the sentence.
Naama's lawyer, Alexander Teitz, visited her Tuesday afternoon and said that the young woman "was overwhelmed by the great support she received from Israel and Jews around the world."
The lawyer said his client "had a lot of questions about yesterday's appeal and the ongoing court process. I told her about the possibility of extraditing the Russian hacker to the United States, she received the news with great courage and expressed hope that Israel will ultimately be able to release her from prison in Russia."
Teitz warned Tuesday morning that the eventual extradition of Russian hacker Alexei Burkov would complicate his client's legal situation.
"I want to believe that (the extradition) will not happen, it would be terrible," said Naama's mother, Yaffa Issachar.
"It doesn't make sense, they won't hand him over to America when my daughter is a bargaining chip," she said.
Naama Issachar's attorneys officially appeal the 7.5 year prison term and warn Israel against extraditing the Russian national suspected of cyber offences against the Americans
The lawyer of an Israeli jailed in Russia for drug offenses said on Tuesday the extradition of a Russian hacker to the United States will “complicate our situation.”
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis, her family said. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling.
"The extradition procedure will complicate our situation,” said Alexandra Teitz.
Sources told Ynet on Monday that Justice Minister Amir Ohana is expected to sign off on the extradition request for Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
The mother of the 26-year-old woman, Yafa, said on Monday “it doesn't make sense” for Israel to extradite the hacker while Russia holds her daughter as a “bargaining chip.”
“I don't think that's going to happen, I want to believe it won't."
In the meantime, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday will officially ask Russian President Vladimir Putin to grant clemency to Issachar. This will be Israel's second clemency request after President Reuven Rivlin appealed to the Russian leader on Friday.
Issachar’s lawyers on Monday officially appealed the sentence.
Netanyahu sends Putin official clemency request for jailed Israeli
Naama Issachar is serving a 7.5-year sentence in Russia for having 9 grams of marijuana in her bag during a stopover in Moscow en route from India to Israel in April
Prime MInister Benjamin Netanyahu has submitted an official request to Russian President Vladimir Putin for clemency for an Israeli woman jailed in Russia over drug offences, his office said Tuesday.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis, her family said. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling.
Her family says she is being punished disproportionately to pressure Israel into freeing a Russian held in Israel on a U.S. extradition request.
Netanyahu's request comes after President Reuven Rivlin made a similar appeal to Putin last week.
"Naama made a grave mistake and has admitted her crime, but in the case of a young woman with no criminal record, the severe sentence handed down will have a deeply destructive impact on her life," Rivlin wrote in a letter to his Russian counterpart.
"Because of the particular and individual circumstances of Naama Issachar’s case, I am appealing to your mercy and compassion with a request for your personal intervention to grant her an extraordinary pardon,” Rivlin wrote.
Issachar’s lawyers on Monday officially appealed the sentence.
Naama's lawyer, Alexander Teitz, visited her Tuesday afternoon and said that the young woman "was overwhelmed by the great support she received from Israel and Jews around the world."
The lawyer said his client "had a lot of questions about yesterday's appeal and the ongoing court process. I told her about the possibility of extraditing the Russian hacker to the United States, she received the news with great courage and expressed hope that Israel will ultimately be able to release her from prison in Russia."
Teitz warned Tuesday morning that the eventual extradition of Russian hacker Alexei Burkov would complicate his client's legal situation.
"I want to believe that (the extradition) will not happen, it would be terrible," said Naama's mother, Yaffa Issachar.
"It doesn't make sense, they won't hand him over to America when my daughter is a bargaining chip," she said.
14 oct 2019
Russian Hacker Alexei Burkov (left) and Israeli Naama Issachar (right)
Government officials estimate hacker will be extradited to U.S. after PM rules out any possibility of potential trade deal between cyber felon and Israeli jailed in Russia
Minister of Justice Amir Ohana is expected to sign an extradition order in the coming days against Russian hacker Alexei Burkov, who is wanted in the United States, government officials said Monday.
In recent days, several consultation rounds have been held between state officials headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in light of the fact that both the United States and Russia are seeking Burkov's extradition.
During the talks Netanyahu had ruled out any possibility of a potential trade deal between Burkov and Naama Issachar, a 26-year-old who was arrested in April while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling and sentenced her for 7.5 years in prison.
Official documents and decisions of the Jerusalem District Court and the Supreme Court in Israel that discussed Burkov's appeal show that the United States was the first to request Burkov's extradition three and a half years ago.
Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday appealed in an official letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to grant a pardon to Issachar.
Government officials estimate hacker will be extradited to U.S. after PM rules out any possibility of potential trade deal between cyber felon and Israeli jailed in Russia
Minister of Justice Amir Ohana is expected to sign an extradition order in the coming days against Russian hacker Alexei Burkov, who is wanted in the United States, government officials said Monday.
In recent days, several consultation rounds have been held between state officials headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in light of the fact that both the United States and Russia are seeking Burkov's extradition.
During the talks Netanyahu had ruled out any possibility of a potential trade deal between Burkov and Naama Issachar, a 26-year-old who was arrested in April while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling and sentenced her for 7.5 years in prison.
Official documents and decisions of the Jerusalem District Court and the Supreme Court in Israel that discussed Burkov's appeal show that the United States was the first to request Burkov's extradition three and a half years ago.
Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday appealed in an official letter to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to grant a pardon to Issachar.
In a letter addressed to the Russian leader, Rivlin asks for Putin's 'personal intervention' to grant Naama Issachar - jailed for 7.5 years after 9 grams of cannabis were found in her luggage as she transited through a Moscow airport - an 'extraordinary pardon'
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday appealed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to grant a pardon to a young Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven and a half years in jail for minor drug offences.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis, her family said. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling.Her family says she is being punished disproportionately to pressure Israel into freeing a Russian held in Israel on a U.S. extradition request.
"Naama made a grave mistake and has admitted her crime, but in the case of a young woman with no criminal record, the severe sentence handed down will have a deeply destructive impact on her life, Rivlin wrote in the letter addressed to the Russian leader.
The president also thanked Putin for helping recover the body of an Israeli soldier who disappeared in battle during the First Lebanon War and whose remains had been located in Syria in April. "The Jewish people and the State of Israel are grateful for your sensitivity to human life and for your willingness to endanger the lives of your soldiers to locate and return the body of IDF soldier Zachary Baumel.
"Because of the particular and individual circumstances of Naama Issachar’s case, I am appealing to your mercy and compassion with a request for your personal intervention to grant her an extraordinary pardon.”
The 26-year-old yoga instructor's friend over the weekend posted on her social media a recording of a phone conversation she had with Issachar shortly before her arrest. Naama is heard telling her friend that she is "in a bit more trouble" than she had originally thought.
In addition, Channel 12 released an audio of Friday's sentencing hearing, where the 26-year-old is heard telling the judge the smuggling charge she'd been indicted on is "unreasonable and unjustified." The Israeli added that she "acted irresponsibly" prior to boarding the flight and that she should have been "aware of all the belongings in my bag."
Issachar's family accuses Russia of punishing her after failing to swap her for Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
Minutes before Friday’s sentencing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have ruled out any swap of Issachar for Burkov. “Israeli justice officials have made unequivocally clear that there is no possibility of preventing Burkov’s extradition after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled him extraditable,” a statement by Netanyahu’s office said.
To be implemented, Burkov's extradition must be formally approved by Israel's justice minister, Amir Ohana, who on Saturday said he would decide whether to do so within days and hinted that he might weigh a rival Russian extradition request. Such a request had been filed by Russia, Ohana told Israel's Channel 13 TV, but it was "rather thin in terms of material".
"In order to decide that he is extraditable to Russia, a court needs to rule that he is extraditable. That has not yet happened," Ohana said.
14 oct 2019 Jordan Demands Israel To Release Two Of Its Citizens
Mother of Israeli jailed in Russia on drug charges: She's a bargaining chip
In letter to her daughter Naama, Yaffa Issachar says they now understand why her charges for forgetting small amount of marijuana en route from India were suddenly increased; expresses hope that Rivlin's appeal to Putin for a pardon will be granted
The mother of a young Israeli woman currently serving a seven-year jail sentence in Russia for drug smuggling arrived at the prison where she is being held Monday afternoon, six months after her arrest in transit at a Moscow airport with a small amount of marijuana in her possession.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while en route from India to Israel. Her family says she is being punished disproportionately to pressure Israel into freeing a Russian national held in Israel due to a U.S. extradition request. She is being used as a "bargaining chip," her mother said Monday as she arrived at the prison.
Yaffa Issacharof took with her a letter to her daughter, explaining why it had not been possible to secure her release and why she was serving such a harsh sentence.
"My Naama, when you walked into the courtroom in handcuffs, sat in a box with bars and surrounded by police officers preventing me from giving you my hand - those were my most difficult moments," Yaffa wrote.
"Every mother wants to protect her daughter, this is a fundamental quality for us. This ability was taken away from me brutally. Because you have become a bargaining chip.
"Naama, you can't imagine how hard it was for me to look you in the eye and see your panic. It's a torture that's hard to describe. Not being able to hold you tight and tell you to hold on a little bit longer. I will do everything to get you out of there; (you have) a country that cares about you," the letter said.
"Naama, everyone knew why you were suffering. Just you and I were the only ones who didn't know and didn't understand and didn't get answers," her mother wrote.
"We didn't understand why two weeks after deciding to charge you for personal use of the grass you forgot in your bag and fining you, they suddenly changed your charges to smuggling and dealing drugs.
"We didn't understand when they wanted to transfer you to a remote and isolated detention center. We didn't understand when the Russian judge repeatedly denied you transfer to house arrest with an electronic handcuff and guarantor letters from senior members of the (Russian) Jewish community.
"We didn't know and were extremely angry when they restricted your phone calls and letters, we didn't know why they refused to bring you kosher food, we didn't know what was behind the refusal to give you prayer books for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
"We didn't understand why court hearings fateful for you were held precisely on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the people of Israel, and you arrived for the hearing pale and exhausted by the fast.
"I'm sorry Naama, we didn't know why your defense team made allegations and put you on the witness stand, and at the same time the Russian judge was playing with his phone and disregarding (events).
"It seems we didn't know, and everyone else did. Now it's all clear. I promise you that I will fight your incarceration together with all your amazing friends in Israel and get you out of there soon."
The visit came after permission was granted by a Moscow court for Yaffa to see her daughter.
"I was given permission by a judge to visit my daughter in prison," Yaffa told Ynet after the visit was approved. "I must hurry so I am not (too) late," she said, adding that she wanted to take her daughter some food. Naama is being held at an facility that is more than an hour's drive from Moscow.
She said she was hopeful optimistic that her daughter would be released and expressed gratitude for the support the family had received across Israel.
"We have a wonderful country that must not be taken for granted," she said. "There has been so much support. The prime minister and justice minister both called me."
She said she was hoping to tell her daughter about the support and about the letter President Reuven Rivlin had sent to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin requesting her release.
""Because of the particular and individual circumstances of Naama Issachar’s case, I am appealing to your mercy and compassion with a request for your personal intervention to grant her an extraordinary pardon,” the president wrote in the letter.
Russia’s RT news channel suggested Issachar could be traded for Alexei Burkov, the Russian detained while visiting Israel in 2015. Israeli officials say the United States wants to extradite Burkov for suspected cybercrimes.
Naama's Russian attorney Alexander Tayts told Ynet that her prison sentence, which he called excessively severe, posed a precedence for anyone traveling through Russian airports, as his client had been in transit and did not officially enter Russia.
"Naama's difficulties are compounded by the fact she does not speak Russian," Tayts said.
"She does not belong in a Russian prison and we will keep fighting for her release."
President Reuven Rivlin on Sunday appealed to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to grant a pardon to a young Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven and a half years in jail for minor drug offences.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9 grams of cannabis, her family said. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling.Her family says she is being punished disproportionately to pressure Israel into freeing a Russian held in Israel on a U.S. extradition request.
"Naama made a grave mistake and has admitted her crime, but in the case of a young woman with no criminal record, the severe sentence handed down will have a deeply destructive impact on her life, Rivlin wrote in the letter addressed to the Russian leader.
The president also thanked Putin for helping recover the body of an Israeli soldier who disappeared in battle during the First Lebanon War and whose remains had been located in Syria in April. "The Jewish people and the State of Israel are grateful for your sensitivity to human life and for your willingness to endanger the lives of your soldiers to locate and return the body of IDF soldier Zachary Baumel.
"Because of the particular and individual circumstances of Naama Issachar’s case, I am appealing to your mercy and compassion with a request for your personal intervention to grant her an extraordinary pardon.”
The 26-year-old yoga instructor's friend over the weekend posted on her social media a recording of a phone conversation she had with Issachar shortly before her arrest. Naama is heard telling her friend that she is "in a bit more trouble" than she had originally thought.
In addition, Channel 12 released an audio of Friday's sentencing hearing, where the 26-year-old is heard telling the judge the smuggling charge she'd been indicted on is "unreasonable and unjustified." The Israeli added that she "acted irresponsibly" prior to boarding the flight and that she should have been "aware of all the belongings in my bag."
Issachar's family accuses Russia of punishing her after failing to swap her for Alexei Burkov, a Russian national detained by Israel during a 2015 visit. Israel says he is wanted by the United States for suspected cyber offences.
Minutes before Friday’s sentencing, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appeared to have ruled out any swap of Issachar for Burkov. “Israeli justice officials have made unequivocally clear that there is no possibility of preventing Burkov’s extradition after Israel’s Supreme Court ruled him extraditable,” a statement by Netanyahu’s office said.
To be implemented, Burkov's extradition must be formally approved by Israel's justice minister, Amir Ohana, who on Saturday said he would decide whether to do so within days and hinted that he might weigh a rival Russian extradition request. Such a request had been filed by Russia, Ohana told Israel's Channel 13 TV, but it was "rather thin in terms of material".
"In order to decide that he is extraditable to Russia, a court needs to rule that he is extraditable. That has not yet happened," Ohana said.
14 oct 2019 Jordan Demands Israel To Release Two Of Its Citizens
Mother of Israeli jailed in Russia on drug charges: She's a bargaining chip
In letter to her daughter Naama, Yaffa Issachar says they now understand why her charges for forgetting small amount of marijuana en route from India were suddenly increased; expresses hope that Rivlin's appeal to Putin for a pardon will be granted
The mother of a young Israeli woman currently serving a seven-year jail sentence in Russia for drug smuggling arrived at the prison where she is being held Monday afternoon, six months after her arrest in transit at a Moscow airport with a small amount of marijuana in her possession.
Naama Issachar, 26, was arrested on April 9 while en route from India to Israel. Her family says she is being punished disproportionately to pressure Israel into freeing a Russian national held in Israel due to a U.S. extradition request. She is being used as a "bargaining chip," her mother said Monday as she arrived at the prison.
Yaffa Issacharof took with her a letter to her daughter, explaining why it had not been possible to secure her release and why she was serving such a harsh sentence.
"My Naama, when you walked into the courtroom in handcuffs, sat in a box with bars and surrounded by police officers preventing me from giving you my hand - those were my most difficult moments," Yaffa wrote.
"Every mother wants to protect her daughter, this is a fundamental quality for us. This ability was taken away from me brutally. Because you have become a bargaining chip.
"Naama, you can't imagine how hard it was for me to look you in the eye and see your panic. It's a torture that's hard to describe. Not being able to hold you tight and tell you to hold on a little bit longer. I will do everything to get you out of there; (you have) a country that cares about you," the letter said.
"Naama, everyone knew why you were suffering. Just you and I were the only ones who didn't know and didn't understand and didn't get answers," her mother wrote.
"We didn't understand why two weeks after deciding to charge you for personal use of the grass you forgot in your bag and fining you, they suddenly changed your charges to smuggling and dealing drugs.
"We didn't understand when they wanted to transfer you to a remote and isolated detention center. We didn't understand when the Russian judge repeatedly denied you transfer to house arrest with an electronic handcuff and guarantor letters from senior members of the (Russian) Jewish community.
"We didn't know and were extremely angry when they restricted your phone calls and letters, we didn't know why they refused to bring you kosher food, we didn't know what was behind the refusal to give you prayer books for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
"We didn't understand why court hearings fateful for you were held precisely on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the people of Israel, and you arrived for the hearing pale and exhausted by the fast.
"I'm sorry Naama, we didn't know why your defense team made allegations and put you on the witness stand, and at the same time the Russian judge was playing with his phone and disregarding (events).
"It seems we didn't know, and everyone else did. Now it's all clear. I promise you that I will fight your incarceration together with all your amazing friends in Israel and get you out of there soon."
The visit came after permission was granted by a Moscow court for Yaffa to see her daughter.
"I was given permission by a judge to visit my daughter in prison," Yaffa told Ynet after the visit was approved. "I must hurry so I am not (too) late," she said, adding that she wanted to take her daughter some food. Naama is being held at an facility that is more than an hour's drive from Moscow.
She said she was hopeful optimistic that her daughter would be released and expressed gratitude for the support the family had received across Israel.
"We have a wonderful country that must not be taken for granted," she said. "There has been so much support. The prime minister and justice minister both called me."
She said she was hoping to tell her daughter about the support and about the letter President Reuven Rivlin had sent to his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin requesting her release.
""Because of the particular and individual circumstances of Naama Issachar’s case, I am appealing to your mercy and compassion with a request for your personal intervention to grant her an extraordinary pardon,” the president wrote in the letter.
Russia’s RT news channel suggested Issachar could be traded for Alexei Burkov, the Russian detained while visiting Israel in 2015. Israeli officials say the United States wants to extradite Burkov for suspected cybercrimes.
Naama's Russian attorney Alexander Tayts told Ynet that her prison sentence, which he called excessively severe, posed a precedence for anyone traveling through Russian airports, as his client had been in transit and did not officially enter Russia.
"Naama's difficulties are compounded by the fact she does not speak Russian," Tayts said.
"She does not belong in a Russian prison and we will keep fighting for her release."
