“A story like this, in which, unrelated to what you did, you are disproportionately punished, is the fear of every one of us,” said Issachar’s cousin, Gal. “Being in such a state of distress and helplessness after not hurting anyone, not putting anyone at risk: it’s scary, especially when it’s in a foreign country, in a foreign language, far from Mom, Dad, from good friends. Alone. It’s a tremendous fear. Naama has been living within this horror story for half a year. She doesn’t know that we are here at this very moment.”Tatiana and Natalia Burkova, the mother and sister of Burkov, spoke on Channel 13 and directed their message at Yafa Issachar, Issachar's mother, saying that she must hold tight and ask Justice Minister Amir Ohana to help them return Burkov to Russia through a prisoner deal.“We want to ask the justice minister to have mercy,” said Burkov’s sister. “Alexei’s fate lies in his hands. Alexei is ill, he has a serious chronic illness which requires constant follow-ups and treatment.” Maariv contributed to this report.Young Israeli-American has been held in a Russian prison for 193 days on a marijuana charge. Thousands of Israelis came out tonight in Tel Aviv to demand for her return to #Israel chanting: Free Na’ama! pic.twitter.com/ew4r7SBXfc
— Hallel Silverman (@JustHallel) October 19, 2019