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Last update - 18:28 26/11/2008
Livni urges Thailand to commute Israeli drug smugglers' death sentence
By Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel News, Drugs 

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni on Tuesday urged her Thai counterpart to ask his government to reconsider the death sentence it had handed down to two Israel nationals convicted of drug smuggling las year.

In her appeal, Livni condemned the defendents for their act and affirmed that the international community must continue its war on drugs.

She said that those found guilty of such criminal acts must sit behind bars and pay the price, and added that Israel would not be appealing the sentence if they had been given the penalty of imprisonment rather than death.
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The lawyer of one of the Israeli nationals facing the death penalty said on Wednesday that Israel could save the two by bribing Thai authorities, but has been reluctant to do so.

Attorney Mordechai Tzivin, representing Alon Makhlouf, told Army Radio that the Foreign Ministry has in the past forged identity papers and bribed police officers for "people they wanted to see released."

Makhlouf and Vladimir Akronik were arrested about a year ago during a large-scale police operation on Bangkok's Kao San road, a popular destination for Israeli tourists.

They were caught with 23,000 ecstasy pills in their possession that they had smuggled from Europe. They had planned to take the drugs from Thailand to sell in Japan, Australia and the United States.

Thai police also arrested a number of other Israelis in the same operation, but they were later released when it became clear they had no connection with the incident.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Yossi Levi dismissed Tzvilin's allegations.

"We are a law-abiding service," he told Army Radio. "Our consulates respect the law everywhere, and it's not in our interest to see Israeli citizens executed. We are trying to help, and we're waiting to see how the event unfolds."

On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry said that Thailand was likely to ease the death penalty if the two were to appeal the sentence.

The Foreign Ministry said it is aware of all developments in the affair and is in contact with the pair's families. The Israeli embassy in Thailand has already intervened and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni said she would personally intervene if necessary.

Ministry sources said an appeal would probably result in the death sentence being commuted to a prison term. "In recent years, no death sentence has been carried out in Thailand, and especially not against foreign nationals," explained one.

Benny Makhlouf, Alon's older brother who visited him in jail, blamed the Israel Police attache for his brother's detention.

"The police are riding a wave," he told Army Radio. "They have concocted this whole thing, and tried to extort information about the Abregil [crime] family from him, but he has nothing to do with them."

"He is innocent," he added. "We don't want anyone to commute his sentence, we want him vindicated, nothing less."

He also said that not a single Israeli official visited his brother in prison, and that he is the only one providing him with kosher food daily.

Sharon Shebo, who last year was jailed in Thailand for two days for carrying a gun bullet in his bag, said he would have preferred a death penalty.

"There were no toilets or beds, and eight inmates are crammed into a tiny cell," he recalled.

"I was standing the whole night, because there was nowhere to lie down," he continued. "When I felt I was about to collapse, I sat on someone's leg. When I asked for water, the warden beat me."

If the sentence were commuted to jail time, the two would have to serve the first third of it in Thailand, but could then be transferred to an Israeli jail, under the terms of an Israeli-Thai treaty.

As in many other countries, foreign nationals are tried according to the Thai legal code, even if they committed a felony against another foreign national.

In 1997, a Thai court sentenced to death another two Israelis, who had been arrested in 1995 on suspicion of trying to smuggle 2.8 kilos of cocaine. Then president Ezer Weitzman lobbied the Thai king, eventually securing their release.


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      1.   Israel Should Move Quickly! 13:52  |  Khaled 25/11/08
      2.   why should we? 14:07  |  J 25/11/08
      3.   They knew what they were doing 14:07  |  Hilary 25/11/08
      4.   No sympathy from me 14:11  |  Avi 25/11/08
      5.   Israel,a country of drug addicts 14:12  |  The revving girl 25/11/08
      6.   Drug traficking the biggest danger to our future 14:27  |  Simon 25/11/08
      7.   Cruel punishment 14:27  |  Daniel 25/11/08
      8.   All together now "antisemitism" 14:29  |  SJ 25/11/08
      9.   SJ- most of us think that they deserve no sympathy 14:39  |  JD 25/11/08
      10.   This pair of criminels 14:40  |  Dav 25/11/08
      11.   I`m against the death penalty, but we shouldn`t get involved 14:58  |  Israel 25/11/08
      12.   they had no consideration 15:35  |  pepe 25/11/08
      13.   Shock horror SECULAR Israeli commit crime 15:39  |  S Judah 25/11/08
      14.   Are Israelis not involved enough in their own country 15:40  |  Valeria 25/11/08
      15.   The rewiing girl: of course, where you live there are not... 15:46  |  Israeli cititzen 25/11/08
      16.   Good! 15:46  |  Angel 25/11/08
      17.   #7 Cruel punishment 15:49  |  El_Justiciero 25/11/08
      18.   To Dav # 10 - Dont play with the Thais..... 15:49  |  Onlooker 25/11/08
      19.   death sentence is a proper sentence for ALL terrorism 15:50  |  Arie 25/11/08
      20.   I find it hart to feel sorry for these guys 16:07  |  Sherman 25/11/08
      21.   4 Millions palestinians sentenced to oppression for no reason 16:21  |  Aounist 25/11/08
      22.   to Aounist 16:43  |  Harry 25/11/08
      23.   Aounist # 20 16:51  |  THK 25/11/08
      24.   if the tables were turned there is no way the US/Israel would put 16:53  |  glenna 25/11/08
      25.   Blatant Anti-semitism ! 16:56  |  Horst Wessel 25/11/08
      26.   President Shimon Peres 17:02  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 25/11/08
      27.   I don`t believe in the death penalty 17:04  |  Chris Linthwaite 25/11/08
      28.   Aounist, slow news day?. 17:05  |  mark hammond 25/11/08
      29.   Is Sad but is fair also 17:14  |  Alberto Pinto 25/11/08
      30.   Serves them right! 17:15  |  Silvienne 25/11/08
      31.   #7, Daniel... 17:19  |  Silvienne 25/11/08
      32.   Death because of drugs? 17:20  |  Alan 25/11/08
      33.   drug smugglers 17:21  |  marcella wachtel 25/11/08
      34.   drug smugglers 17:24  |  marcella wachtel 25/11/08
      35.   #20 Now I know what "Aounist" means 17:24  |  Yonatan 25/11/08
      36.   That`s the way it should be all over the world 17:43  |  Hans 25/11/08
      37.   #28 Silvienne blind bias dumb thinking 17:58  |  THK 25/11/08
      38.   khaled 1 18:12  |  potobac 25/11/08
      39.   Aounist - What does your comment have to do with Thailand? 18:23  |  Ben 25/11/08
      40.   To Aounist # 20 - Such Nonsense........ 19:11  |  Natasha 25/11/08
      41.   death for drug trade 19:36  |  Paul 25/11/08
      42.   Drugs.Death and Kuntar 19:45  |  Connie 25/11/08
      43.   would they have a trial in Israel ? 20:36  |  Moshe 25/11/08
      44.   admit I feel sorry for these two Israelis..... 20:39  |  Dagma 25/11/08
      45.   Justice, Justice, You Shall Seek 20:49  |  Beth Jacobs 25/11/08
      46.   drug smuggling 21:09  |  mark21 25/11/08
      47.   drug smuggling 21:29  |  mark21 25/11/08
      48.   #44, Beth Jacobs quotes the Bible...forget it! 21:41  |  Silvienne 25/11/08
      49.   Israelis in Bangkok are out of control 22:06  |  POP 25/11/08
      50.   #39, Natasha, the "nonsense" is on your side... 22:07  |  Silvienne 25/11/08
      51.   Everyone who thinks they deserve death should feel ashamed 22:13  |  Nikki 25/11/08
      52.   drugs are death 22:58  |  paul 25/11/08
      53.   #7 daniel 22:59  |  LlYN 25/11/08
      54.   POP You must go to a different Bangkok.Facts have never been your 23:34  |  PETER SM 25/11/08
      55.   SYLVIENNE Gazan are starving ?Nothing through Israel & Egypt ?? 23:40  |  PETER SM 25/11/08
      56.   Silvienne, supports the death penalty? 00:33  |  FOX 26/11/08
      57.   Silvienne #31 Death Penalty 00:39  |  FOX 26/11/08
      58.   Response to #17 02:41  |  Daniel 26/11/08
      59.   #57 Karkur 03:14  |  Sonny 26/11/08
      60.   #57 last message for Fox not Karkur 03:17  |  Sonny 26/11/08
      61.   Welcome to the world. 04:02  |  Mr. Black 26/11/08
      62.   Death for Ecstasy, Freedom for Murderers 04:29  |  UsedToPostHere 26/11/08
      63.   its in ugly thing they where doing 04:34  |  larzbeach 26/11/08
      64.   No Death Penalty! 04:44  |  DAT 26/11/08
      65.   Send in an appeal 05:27  |  Magnus K. 26/11/08
      66.   Leave Them There 05:50  |  Bill Foonman 26/11/08
      67.   have any of you who decry the sentence ever considered? 06:02  |  eric 26/11/08
      68.   To # 64 06:18  |  Hans 26/11/08
      69.   Read The Landing Card 08:05  |  Phil 26/11/08
      70.   Drug smugglers Good riddance 08:24  |  DT 26/11/08
      71.   Natasha and alas Peter 08:58  |  Ben too 26/11/08
      72.   Thailand 09:22  |  Yosemite 26/11/08
      73.   Sonny, Refer Madness 09:29  |  FOX 26/11/08
      74.   No sympathy from me either ! 09:35  |  Benjamina 26/11/08
      75.   What a pity! 10:01  |  El_Justiciero 26/11/08
      76.   THEY DESERVE TO ROT 10:34  |  Robert 26/11/08
      77.   Drugs from Israel? 11:18  |  Dav 26/11/08
      78.   Big Crime Familie 11:27  |  Dav 26/11/08
      79.   #25 Horst Wessel Blatent what ? 11:36  |  American 26/11/08
      80.   israeli Police 13:08  |  rafiq 26/11/08
      81.   Yes, let them rot 13:34  |  Maerton 26/11/08
      82.   #57, FOX...once again... 18:03  |  Silvienne 26/11/08
      83.   #53 Llyn Sut Mae 18:07  |  Eva 26/11/08
      84.   Scandinavian drug smugglers death sentences are routinely commut 18:26  |  Absolute Sweden 26/11/08
      85.   Silvienne I somewhat agree #82 18:57  |  FOX 26/11/08
      86.   #5 - do you feel silly when re-reading your post? 18:57  |  redmike 26/11/08
      87.   Obama Dealt drugs on the Beach 19:01  |  FOX 26/11/08
      88.   Leave them there, shame to Am hanvchar , or l`goyim 19:32  |  JewishHeart 26/11/08
      89.   Re # 1 Right 23:54  |  Ines 26/11/08
      90.   #85, FOX.....2ND TRY 06:59  |  Silvienne 27/11/08
      91.   Capital Punishment is an Obscenity 01:12  |  Syd Walker 27/12/08
      92.   so called drug smuggling in thailand 11:37  |  Paul 24/03/09
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