Israel's president asks Peru to free Israeli woman arrested for drug smuggling
FEBRUARY 9, 2020 3:39 PM
JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli President Reuven Rivlin asked the president of Peru to grant clemency to an Israeli woman imprisoned there for drug smuggling.
Hodaya Monsonego, 24, was arrested in 2019 after Peruvian authorities found 28 kilograms of cocaine in her luggage as she prepared to return to Israel.
Rivlin said in a letter sent over the weekend to Peru’s President Martin Alberto Vizcarra Cornejo that Monsongo has medical and mental health issues, including a diagnosis of limited cognitive ability, that could have caused her to be involved in the alleged matter unintentionally.
Monsongo has no criminal record in Israel, Rivlin said, adding that she speaks only Hebrew and has found it difficult to communicate with her local lawyers. He appealed to Cornejo’s “mercy and compassion.”
More:
https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/israels-president-asks-peru-to-free-israeli-woman-arrested-for-drug-smuggling
People from Europe, Israel appear to come from countries which feel insulted when their travelers are arrested smuggling drugs. It means if Peru doesn't release them instantly, Peru is going to become the target of a lot of hatred for every day the suspect is not returned.
