Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu submitted an official request on behalf of Israeli President Reuven Rivlin to Russian President Vladimir Putin asking that he issue a pardon to Israeli Naama Issachar and to allow her to return to Israel.

The request was submitted on Tuesday evening just a few days after Isaachar’s official sentence was handed down in a Russian court. Issachar was arrested at the Moscow airport for carrying 9.5 grams of cannabis and sentenced to 7.5 years in prison.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced on the local RT news station Monday night that Putin would consider pardoning Issachar when he received an official request from Netanyahu.

Naama’s mother Yaffa told reporters: “I am very happy. This is another beacon of hope for me and for Naama. I am truly thankful to the President and to the Prime Minister for their efforts. I want to write a letter to Vladimir Putin from myself and from Naama. The entire country is awaiting her return. We are all asking for her release.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)