Issachar family slams ‘inhumane’ decision to extradite Russian hacker

The family of 26-year-old Israeli woman Naama Issachar, who was arrested in April in Moscow after some 10 grams of marijuana were found in her bag during a stopover, slams Justice Minister Amir Ohana for ordering the extradition to the US of a Russian hacker seen as a potential bargaining chip for Issachar’s freedom.

Issachar was arrested at a Moscow airport. She was flying from India to Israel, and at no point intended to exit the airport in Russia. Earlier this month, she was sentenced by a Russian court to 7.5 years in prison for drug smuggling, a ruling that sparked an outcry in Israel.

Ohana formally signed off on the extradition of computer hacker Alexey Burkov, a Russian national believed by Israeli officials to be linked to Russian intelligence, to the US. Burkov is wanted there on embezzlement charges.

Calling Ohana’s move “immoral and inhumane,” a family spokesperson says, “only yesterday, the minister said it was Israel’s duty to bring about Naama’s release, and unfortunately he has acted in a way that contradicts his statement.”

The family adds: “Every day the Russians make Naama’s prison conditions more difficult, and it is Israel’s responsibility to extricate her from that nightmare.”