“It will be a human decision”: lawyer awaiting extradition of Burkov - on a possible exchange for an Israeli woman convicted in Russia

As RT reported, the family of Russian Alexei Burkov, who was arrested in Israel in 2015 at the request of the United States, is asking diplomats to initiate his exchange for Israeli Naama Issahar, who was sentenced on October 11 in Russia to 7.5 years in prison for drug smuggling. The administration of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that such an exchange is impossible, since the Russian should be extradited to the United States. At the same time, Israeli authorities are asking Russian President Vladimir Putin to pardon Issahar.

- Recently, the office of the Prime Minister of Israel issued a statement saying that it is impossible to exchange Issakhar for Burkov, since there is a decision of the Israeli Supreme Court on his extradition to the United States. Is this really an insurmountable obstacle?

- This is not true. The Supreme Court is only considering the question of whether it is possible in principle to extradite a person, whether the requested party has provided sufficient evidence against him. And to give out or not - the Minister of Justice decides. And this is in no way connected with the accusations themselves - this is a purely political issue, taking into account relations between countries. In the case of Burkov, there is no such decision yet - Minister Amir Ohana has not yet signed a warrant.

- Is the signing of this decision regulated in time or can it stretch for years?

- Not regulated, but I think that we are talking more about a few months.

- Why have the Israeli authorities still not considered the request for extradition of Burkov sent by the Russian Prosecutor General? Does the fact that there is no extradition agreement between Russia and Israel affect this?

- No. The fact is that the Americans were the first to send a request for extradition - it was considered and satisfied by the court. However, there is the European Convention, according to which Burkov can and should be extradited to Russia - Israel regularly extends the Russians home based on this document. In my opinion, the basic evidence for the Israeli authorities to decide on the extradition of Burkov to Russia is enough.

“By evidence, do you mean the sincere confession that Burkov sent to Russian law enforcement officers, already being arrested in Israel?”

- Yes exactly. If Burkov committed the crime, he was in Russia, and therefore he must be tried there, not in the United States, where there is no reason to count on a fair trial.

- Why have Russia and Israel still not been able to agree on an exchange?

- I do not know. This question is more correctly addressed to diplomats. Moreover, there are good relations between Israel and Russia.

- How do you feel about the idea of ​​exchanging Issakhar for Burkova? Is this possible in practice?

- This is real only if the leaders of the two countries agree. This should be decided by Netanyahu and Putin.

- Can you name all the articles on which Burkov is accused by the Americans?

- Credit card fraud, hacking, information theft.

- I would like to know more about the charges

- I can’t talk about this, because an Israeli court imposed a ban on the disclosure of information.

- How many years in prison does he face in the USA on these charges?

- I don’t even want to think how much he will get in the USA - it's decades. Much more than Issachar received in Russia. And if Burkova, for example, were convicted in Israel under local laws, then he would have already served time and been released.

- Does Israel violate any laws by keeping Burkova in prison for four years?

- No, it does not break. But it is worth noting that in the case of Burkov, all records have already been broken in terms of the length of the conclusion pending extradition. And this is not so much the fault of Israel, but the merit of Russian diplomats who did and continue to do everything possible to prevent the extradition to the Americans. We must pay tribute to the employees of the Russian embassy - from the first days of their arrest, they have been very supportive of Burkov.

- Did you follow the Issakhar case in Russia?

- Yes, and I believe that the sentence is disproportionate to what she committed. It is noteworthy that in Israel, where she carried drugs, it is allowed to store up to 15 grams of marijuana for personal use. Storage up to 30 grams is a fine.

- How do you assess the reaction of the Israeli press to the sentence of Issahar and the option of its exchange for Burkova?

“Of course, the Israelis are shocked by the verdict and really want her back.” As for Burkov, people in Israel just do not really understand the details of his arrest. I myself, as an Israeli, really hope that the logic will win and the exchange will take place - this will be the right human decision.