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The National
02-04-2025
- Politics
- The National
Three sentenced to death over murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan in UAE
Three people have been sentenced to death by an Abu Dhabi court over the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a Moldovan-Israeli citizen, in the UAE in November. Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber said the three were "unanimously convicted" of premeditated murder with terrorist intention. A fourth person was sentenced to life imprisonment for aiding in the murder, the state news agency Wam reported on Monday, and is to be deported after serving the term. In November, Wam reported that authorities had revealed the identities of the three accused of murder, all of whom are Uzbek citizens, as Olimboy Tohirovich and Makhmudjon Abdurakhim, both 28, and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33. An investigation team discovered the body of Mr Kogan after receiving a missing-person report from the victim's family. The location of the body and the cause of death have not been disclosed. Mr Kogan was an envoy of the orthodox Jewish organisation Chabad-Lubavitch, which issued a tribute to him after his death. It said he had moved to the Emirates with his wife to 'answer a calling of service'. Attorney General Dr Hamad Saif Al Shamsi had ordered the four accused to be brought to trial in January, after investigations conducted by the State Security Prosecution found they had tracked and murdered the victim. The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, postmortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime, and witness testimonies, Wam said. Under UAE law, sentences of capital punishment are automatically subject to appeal and are referred to the Criminal Division of the Federal Supreme Court for review and adjudication. The Attorney General stressed that the verdict reflects the UAE's commitment to combating terrorism in accordance with the highest standards of justice and the rule of law, while ensuring a fair trial. He said the UAE judiciary resolutely confronts any attempts to undermine national security and stability. Yousef Al Otaiba, the UAE's ambassador to the US, spoke out over the 'senseless death' of Mr Kogan. 'Today the UAE mourns for Rabbi Zvi Kogan. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and community over his senseless death,' Mr Al Otaiba said on social media at the time of his killing. 'Zvi Kogan's murder was more than a crime in the UAE – it was a crime against the UAE. It was an attack on our homeland, on our values and on our vision. 'In the UAE, we welcome everyone. We embrace peaceful coexistence. We reject extremism and fanaticism of every kind. We honour Zvi Kogan's memory by recommitting ourselves to these values. Now, we are more determined than ever to protecting and sustaining the Emirates as a shining and enduring example of diversity, acceptance and peace.'
CNN
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
UAE court sentences 3 people to death in killing of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli-Moldovan Zvi Kogan, state media reported Monday. The state-run WAM news agency announced the verdicts of the three after a trial in Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber. It said a fourth person who aided the killing received a life sentence. It did not identify those charged. However, three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkey and brought back to the UAE over the killing in November. 'The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim,' the WAM report said. 'The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included the defendants' detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime and witness testimonies.' Authorities in the UAE have not offered a motive for the killing, nor any details about how Kogan was kidnapped and slain. However, it came amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has inflamed anger across the wider Muslim world. Diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained intact, though strained, by the war as Israel maintains a consulate in Dubai and an embassy in Abu Dhabi. While not directly blaming Iran, Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others have referred to an 'axis of evil' being responsible for Kogan's killing — a phrase Israel in the past has used to refer to Iran and its allies. Iran's Embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied Tehran was involved in the rabbi's slaying and the UAE itself has not made the allegation. However, Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country. Iranian intelligence services also have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE. Iran also has used criminal gangs in the past to target dissidents and its enemies. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. He was buried in Israel. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Capital cases are rare in the country of 9 million people, but executions typically come swiftly after defendants have their appeals exhausted. Typically, the UAE uses firing squads to execute the condemned.
CNN
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CNN
UAE court sentences 3 people to death in killing of Israeli-Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli-Moldovan Zvi Kogan, state media reported Monday. The state-run WAM news agency announced the verdicts of the three after a trial in Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber. It said a fourth person who aided the killing received a life sentence. It did not identify those charged. However, three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkey and brought back to the UAE over the killing in November. 'The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim,' the WAM report said. 'The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included the defendants' detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime and witness testimonies.' Authorities in the UAE have not offered a motive for the killing, nor any details about how Kogan was kidnapped and slain. However, it came amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has inflamed anger across the wider Muslim world. Diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained intact, though strained, by the war as Israel maintains a consulate in Dubai and an embassy in Abu Dhabi. While not directly blaming Iran, Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others have referred to an 'axis of evil' being responsible for Kogan's killing — a phrase Israel in the past has used to refer to Iran and its allies. Iran's Embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied Tehran was involved in the rabbi's slaying and the UAE itself has not made the allegation. However, Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country. Iranian intelligence services also have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE. Iran also has used criminal gangs in the past to target dissidents and its enemies. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. He was buried in Israel. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Capital cases are rare in the country of 9 million people, but executions typically come swiftly after defendants have their appeals exhausted. Typically, the UAE uses firing squads to execute the condemned.
CBS News
31-03-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
3 people sentenced to death in killing of rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates
A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli-Moldovan Zvi Kogan , state media reported Monday. The state-run WAM news agency announced the verdicts of the three after a trial in Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber. It said a fourth person who aided the killing received a life sentence. It did not identify those charged. However, three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkey and brought back to the UAE over the killing in November. "The defendants had tracked and murdered the victim," the WAM report said. "The evidence presented by the State Security Prosecution to the court included the defendants' detailed confessions to the crimes of murder and kidnapping, along with forensic reports, post-mortem examination findings, details of the instruments used in the crime and witness testimonies." The rabbi was reported missing by his wife after he did not show up to a meeting, the BBC reported . Authorities in the UAE have not offered a motive for the killing, nor any details about how Kogan was kidnapped and slain. However, it came amid the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip, which has inflamed anger across the wider Muslim world. Diplomatic ties between Israel and the UAE have remained intact, though strained, by the war as Israel maintains a consulate in Dubai and an embassy in Abu Dhabi. While not directly blaming Iran, Israeli officials including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others have referred to an "axis of evil" being responsible for Kogan's killing — a phrase Israel in the past has used to refer to Iran and its allies. Iran's Embassy in Abu Dhabi has denied Tehran was involved in the rabbi's slaying and the UAE itself has not made the allegation. However, Western officials believe Iran runs intelligence operations in the UAE and keeps tabs on the hundreds of thousands of Iranians living across the country. Iranian intelligence services also have carried out past kidnappings in the UAE. Iran has used criminal gangs in the past to target dissidents and its enemies. In November, the UAE's interior ministry announced that security authorities had "begun initial investigations with the three suspects arrested for committing the murder of Moldovan resident Zvi Kogan in preparation for referring to the public prosecution." The ministry also posted images of the suspects on social media. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. He was buried in Israel. Chabad said Kogan was abducted in Dubai and driven toward the border with Oman, according to the BBC. His body was found after "security and intelligence agencies from a number of countries coordinated an intensive investigation to locate him," the organization said. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Capital cases are rare in the country of 9 million people, but executions typically come swiftly after defendants have their appeals exhausted. Typically, the UAE uses firing squads to execute the condemned.
Los Angeles Times
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
UAE court sentences 3 people to death in killing of Israeli Moldovan rabbi Zvi Kogan
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — A court in the United Arab Emirates has sentenced three people to death for the killing of Israeli Moldovan Zvi Kogan, state media reported Monday. The state-run WAM news agency announced the verdicts of the three after a trial in Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals' State Security Chamber. It said a fourth person received a life sentence. It did not identify those charged. However, three Uzbek nationals had been arrested in Turkey and brought back to the UAE over the slaying in November. Kogan, 28, an ultra-Orthodox rabbi, ran a kosher grocery store in the futuristic city of Dubai, where Israelis have flocked for commerce and tourism since the two countries forged diplomatic ties in the 2020 Abraham Accords. The UAE has a burgeoning Jewish community, with synagogues and businesses catering to kosher diners. Kogan was an emissary of the Chabad Lubavitch movement, a prominent and highly observant branch of ultra-Orthodox Judaism based in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood in New York City. He was buried in Israel. The UAE is an autocratic federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula and is also home to Abu Dhabi. Capital cases are rare in the country of 9 million people, but executions typically come swiftly after defendants have their appeals exhausted. Gambrell writes for the Associated Press.
