The repatriation of Rabbi Tzvi Kogan’s body Photo: Mahmoud Illean / AP
The Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal sentenced to death three people found guilty of the murder of Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi Tzvi Kogan in November 2023. The fourth defendant was sentenced to life imprisonment.
According to the state-run WAM news agency,citing Reuters, the court found that the crime was of a “terrorist nature”. Under UAE law, death sentences can be appealed.
What is known about Zvi Kogan?
Rabbi Kogan was a representative of the Orthodox Jewish organisation Chabad, which is active in missionary work around the world. He disappeared in November, and his body was later found in the city of Al-Ain. Three Uzbek citizens were arrested on suspicion of murder.
Israel and the UAE: the diplomatic context
Israel and the UAE established diplomatic relations in September 2020 as part of the Abraham Accords brokered by then US President Donald Trump. Relations between the two countries intensified, particularly in the trade sphere, but they cooled significantly after the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023.
