Putin's victims?
Photo: AP
En route to hell
Families of four Israeli prisoners jailed in Russia fear they are victims of Putin's revenge due to Israel's refusal to extradite oligarch Leonid Nevzlin
Four Israeli citizens being held as hostages in a Moscow jail, and who Russia refuses to transfer to Israel to serve their remaining prison term, were recently informed that they would not be transferred to Israel, but rather to a remote prison located a 12 hour drive from Moscow.
The four prisoners Eli Katz, 52, Shimon Hirshorn, 65, Vladislav Kagan, 41, and Shalom Ksirer were convicted of smuggling raw diamonds from Russia. The Russian court served Katz an 11-year sentence, of which he has served five years and four months; Ksirer was handed a six-year sentence of which he has served four.
Russian Spy
Ronen Bodoni and Reuters
Russia’s prosecutor-general says Israeli resident Leonid Nevzlin, former manager of bankrupt YUKOS oil firm, may have ordered poisoning of former Russian agent Alexander Litvinenko; Nevzlin's spokesman: Allegations ridiculous
Eli Katz has been diagnosed with cancer, and according to his family is not receiving adequate treatment. Katz's relatives have presented Russian authorities with documents proving his life is in danger. The documents were also approved by an independent Moscow hospital.
While Russian law stipulates that a convict diagnosed with cancer is eligible for release, Russian authorities have refused to transfer Katz to Israel where he will serve the remainder of his term, despite repeated requests submitted by Israeli authorities, including former justice ministers Yosef Lapid and Tzipi Livni. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also raised the issue of the four prisoners during his recent trip to Moscow.
'Hand over Russian oligarch'
Aharon Abramovitch Director General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who visited Moscow last month, again called on the Russian authorities to comply with the request. Two years ago Israel and Russia signed a treaty that enables prisoners from both countries to serve their prison sentences in their national homelands.In a recent report published by the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper it was noted that Russian officials conveyed a message to the families of the four prisoners stating that only in the event that Israel would hand over oligarch Leonid Nevzlin, Vladimir Putin's sworn enemy, would the four be transferred to Israeli hands.
Russian reports recently announced that Nevzlin is suspected of murdering the former Russian spy Litvinenko, Nevzlin on his part claims he has proof that the Kremlin is behind the murder.
Early this week, the director of the Moscow jail informed the four prisoners that they would be immediately transferred to the Mordovia jail located a 12 hour drive from Moscow, the director said the order came from above.
The Israeli prisoners' families fear this comes as revenge for not extraditing Leonid Nevzlin.
