The Abu Dhabi Court of Appeals on Thursday commuted the death sentence imposed on Israeli Fida Kiwan over drug trafficking, handing down a life sentence in the case, instead.
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Kiwan, 43, a resident of Haifa, was arrested in March 2021 and charged with drug trafficking after authorities found over half a kilogram of drugs, including marijuana, cocaine and MDMA pills in the apartment where she was staying.
Kiwan denied the allegations but was convicted in April. The lower court then handed down a death sentence in the case, which the appellate court suspended in June.
Her attorneys, Tami Ullman and Shadi Saruji, welcomed the development. " We crossed the first stage of overturning the death penalty, and we will now consider our steps in terms of the [life] sentence and further appeal. We will turn to the appropriate bodies in Israel to help bring it to Israel."
When the death sentence was suspended last week, the Foreign Ministry, which is also involved, said Israel was "pleased that the efforts on the legal channels as well as other channels led to the cancellation of the death sentence."
Still, Kiwan's brother, Jaleb, accused the state of dragging its feet in the case.
"The State of Israel has to get Fida back. We are asking Prime Minister Yair Lapid to ignore politics and speak about her publicly. Despite the efforts done on the embassy level, because she's Arab there hasn't been any public statement on this.
"Israel and the UAE really can't resolve this? There is security and political coordination, there are Israelis everywhere there. They [the government] should do something. Is it because Fida is an Arab that nothing has been done?" he charged.
The UAE is one of the world's most restrictive nations when it comes to people importing and possessing drugs, including substances for personal use like cannabis and even over-the-counter medications like narcotics.
Trafficking typically carries a life sentence and possession comes with a shorter jail sentence. While UAE law allows for the death penalty in certain cases, capital punishment is rarely carried out, especially with respect to foreigners.
The last known executions were in 2011 and 2014, against two men convicted of murder.
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