Israeli jailed in Russia says she was 'forced' to sign documents in Russian

Naama Issachar, sentenced to 7 years over 9 grams of marijuana, denies the judge's claim that she admitted to charges of drug possession during her appeal hearing; the 26-year-old adds she has never purchased the drug and doesn't know how it appeared in her bag
Itamar Eichner|Updated:
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Israeli woman jailed in Russia for seven years over drug offenses said during her appeal hearing on Thursday that she was "forced" to sign documents in the Russian language without knowing what they were.
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    • The 26-year-old Naama Issachar was arrested in April while in transit in a Moscow airport, en route from India to Israel, and accused of carrying 9.5 grams of cannabis. Russian authorities charged her with drug smuggling. She was sentenced by a court in Moscow last October.
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    Naama Issachar inside a glass cell during her appeal hearing
    The appeal hearing kicked-off with the Israeli confronting the judge by denying she has admitted to the charges against her.
    Issachar, who was sitting in a glass cell inside the courtroom, said when’d been asked to sign her confession there was no interpreters and speculated the final confession might even have been fabricated.
    The judge said the Israeli yoga instructor partially admitted to illegal possession of drugs and drug smuggling.
    This prompted Naama to once again say she has never admitted to charges of drug possession and was not aware of the marijuana that was in her bag at all. “It’s very simple, I didn't buy the marijuana, I didn't receive it from anyone and I didn't put it in my bag,” said Issachar during her hearing.
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    נעמה יששכר     נעמה יששכר
    Naama Issachar during her appeal hearing
    (Photo: AFP)
    Her defense team reiterated she had no intention of illegally smuggling the drugs during her journey.
    The defense also claimed the translators during Naama’s initial interrogation had poor knowledge of English and couldn’t explain to her what she was being accused of, contributing to the alleged self-incrimination.
    “When they made me sign the document that was written in Russian without understanding what was in it, I hand wrote [on the document] that I did not understand Russian,” she said.
    Issachar’s team, therefore, asked the court to overturn the sentence as her right to have a fair trial had been violated. Naama then nodded in her cell, indicating she fully supports the defense's claims.
    First published: 12:40, 12.19.19
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    6.
    so much for bibi's bs about his relations with putin
    bibi is mostly talk. he cannot back it up in security. he folds like acheap suit. all knows he is scared which harms israeli deterrence. lieberman is not much better. bennett is 10 x bibi or lieberman. vote for bennett in the next elections. gantz is another olmert who will recreate oslo with another 5000 israelis wounded or killed.
    harold| 12.22.19
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    5.
    Putin is pissed because his S300 and S400
    anti aircraft batteries in Syria can't track Israeli F35's, chasing away potential customers from buying his Russian made junk and making him look bad. This is his revenge.
    12.19.19
    30
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    4.
    russian spies
    for all we know the russian government planted the weed in an unsuspecting israelis luggage to provide leverage over the israeli government on geopolitical issues. highly plausible that she had no idea it was there and is a victim of a diplomatic game of chess
    joe| 12.19.19
    31
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