UAE Sentences Three to Death for Rabbi’s Murder
The United Arab Emirates has announced the death sentences for three individuals involved in the abduction and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, an Israeli Moldovan, last November. This incident has raised significant concerns regarding the safety of the nation’s small but growing Jewish community.
According to the state news agency WAM, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals’ State Security Chamber delivered the verdict, condemning the defendants for committing “premeditated murder with terrorist intention.” In addition to the death sentences, a fourth individual was sentenced to life imprisonment for their involvement in the crime, followed by deportation from the country. Typically, life sentences in the U.A.E. can lead to release after a minimum of 20 years.
While the authorities have not publicly disclosed the identities of those sentenced, the U.A.E. Interior Ministry had previously identified the accused as Olimboy Tohirovich and Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, both aged 28, and Azizbek Kamilovich, aged 33, all of whom are Uzbek nationals. State media even released images showing them blindfolded and restrained at the wrists and ankles following their extradition from Turkey.
WAM reported, “The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim.” The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution included the defendants’ detailed confessions regarding their roles in the murder and kidnapping, alongside forensic reports, details from the post-mortem examination, descriptions of the tools used in the crime, and testimonies from witnesses.
However, the report did not provide any further information regarding the motive behind the murder of Rabbi Kogan, who was only 28 years old, nor did it elaborate on the circumstances surrounding his kidnapping and subsequent death.
