(JNS)
Fida Kiwan, an Israeli woman from Haifa who was jailed for drug trafficking last year and had originally faced execution in the United Arab Emirates, has been pardoned and released by UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan in honor of Ramadan.
Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
“I can’t believe my daughter is back,” Kewan’s mother, Sabah, told Walla news.
Kiwan was arrested in Abu Dhabi in March of last year, accused of drug trafficking and sentenced to death. Her sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment by the court in the United Arab Emirates.
In the past year, her family members, including her mother, brother and sister, have been in contact with the office of President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem, claiming that she fell victim to a ruse and working to secure her release.
Herzog submitted a personal humanitarian appeal to UAE’s president several weeks ago and in recent days, the president’s office and the Israeli embassy in the UAE led by Ambassador Amir Hayek have been working with authorities in the Gulf nation on the technical aspects of Kiwan’s release and return to Israel.
