Naama Issachar's pardon request to be discussed by committee on Monday
Issachar officially requested a pardon on Sunday in hopes it would lead to her release from a Russian jail, where she is serving a 7.5-year sentence for cannabis possession.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFYaffa and Naama Issachar(photo credit: Courtesy)
The Russian committee tasked with deciding on Naama Issachar's pardon request will convene on Monday afternoon.Issachar officially requested a pardon on Sunday in hopes it would lead to her release from a Russian jail, where she is serving a 7.5-year sentence for cannabis possession.The 26-year-old yoga teacher was arrested in April during a stopover in a Moscow airport while en route to Tel Aviv from India.On Sunday, her Russian defense team said that, "as a result of our discussion, Naama made a decision to address to the president of the Russian Federation with the motion for pardon and release, and such a motion has been already submitted by her in writing in the prescribed manner through the administration of the detention center in which she is located."Naama, her family and her lawyers are hoping for a swift decision by the Russian president, in accordance with his constitutional authority, for her pardon and release," the team's statement concluded.In a meeting at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin reassured Issachar’s mother, Yaffa, that “everything will be alright.”
