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The Israeli Lia Kopel was released today (Wednesday) from detention in Greece, where she traveled and was arrested about two weeks ago after the United States issued an international arrest warrant against her, on the charge of violating joint custody and kidnapping her children to Israel about ten years ago.
Kopel will return to Israel tomorrow.
The release was achieved after an appeal was filed by attorney Nir Yaslovitz against the extradition request of the United States. In the appeal, it was claimed that Kopel's arrest is contrary to the principles of justice and fairness, while she did not commit any offense justifying her extradition to the United States.
Attorney Yaslovitz said that " I would like to thank the judicial system in Greece, which once again proved that the principles of justice and fairness are a candle to its feet. I am sorry that the American prosecutor found it appropriate to settle accounts with Lia with an obviously unnecessary extradition request when her entire sin was rooted in the fact that she fled the United States in order to save her life and the lives of her children."
The Israeli is expected to return to Israel tomorrow.
Greece (photo: ShutterStock, Shutterstock)
Kopel, now 60 years old, is an American-Israeli citizen.
She married an American lawyer in 1998, and they lived with him in California, where they had three children.
According to her, the husband treated her and the children violently, and used to beat them.
They divorced, and joint custody of the children was established, while the authorities in America provide her with protection, but the threats and pressure continued, and in 2014 she fled with them to Israel.
Following this, the father submitted a request under the Hague Convention to Israel, to return the mother and children to the United States, claiming that Kopel escaped from joint custody and kidnapped the children.
Today the children are adults and the father is no longer alive.
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