UAE sentences three to death for killing Israeli rabbi

UAE Sentences Three to Death for Murder of Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – The United Arab Emirates has sentenced three individuals to death for the abduction and murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, an Israeli-Moldovan national, in November. The case has heightened concerns about the safety of the country’s small but growing Jewish community.

The UAE’s state news agency, WAM, reported that the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeals’ State Security Chamber found the accused guilty of “premeditated murder with terrorist intention.” A fourth person, whose role was unknown, was sentenced to life imprisonment followed by deportation. In the UAE, life sentences normally mean at least 20 years in jail before possible release.

While officials have not revealed the complete names of those sentenced, the UAE Interior Ministry has previously identified the three major suspects as Olimboy Tohirovich, Makhmudjon Abdurakhim (both 28), and Azizbek Kamilovich (33), all Uzbek nationals. Following their extradition from Turkey, official media published photographs of the defendants blindfolded and shackled.

According to WAM, the court’s decision was based on significant forensic evidence, post-mortem reports, and confessions from the defendants. Witness testimony and crime scene details supported the prosecution’s case.
However, authorities have not publicly disclosed the motive behind Kogan’s murder or specific details about his abduction.

Rabbi Kogan was last seen in Dubai on November 21, and his disappearance sparked concern among both Israeli and Emirati authorities. His abandoned vehicle was later found in Al Ain, near the border with Oman, and his body was discovered three days later. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office, condemned the killing as an “antisemitic terrorist act.”

Kogan, 28, was actively involved in the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, a Hasidic Jewish organization dedicated to global outreach. He played a key role in Dubai’s Jewish community and managed the Rimon kosher supermarket in Al Wasl Road, an affluent area of the city. Following his murder, the supermarket announced a temporary closure, transitioning to delivery-only services.

The tragic incident has unsettled the Jewish community in the UAE, which has grown significantly since the signing of the 2020 Abraham Accords that formalized relations between the UAE and Israel.
Jewish residents, previously numbering in the hundreds, now include a rising number of Israeli expatriates.

Capital punishment is rare in the UAE, and death sentences are automatically subject to appeal at the Federal Supreme Court. However, executions are swiftly carried out once all legal avenues have been exhausted.