Ouda Tarabin
Encyclopedia
Ouda Tarabin is an Israel
i Bedouin
. On 2000, The Egyptians
arrested 19 year old Israeli Ouda Tarabin after he illegally crossed the border from Israel (his brother suggests he went over to visit his sister in El-Arish).
Illegal border crossings by the Bedouin
residents of Israel and Egypt are not a rarity; Israel also occasionally arrests Egyptian crossers, who are returned over the border after a short interrogation. Ouda, however, was tried in absentia
by Egyptian military court, though never indicted; when he was arrested the court informed him that he has been sentenced to 15 years before he had entered Egypt and that his father had been similarly sentenced in absentia to 25 years for espionage.
Ouda, therefore, had no chance of defending himself in person, and was convicted under Egypt's emergency law, in effect since 1981, granting police sweeping powers of arrest. The stated basis of the prosecution was testimony given by Ouda's Egyptian cousin, Eid Suleiman, who was arrested for similar charges in 1999 and remains in prison today. According to his family, Ouda he has done nothing wrong other than cross into Egypt without the proper documentation. As of August 2008, he is still in a Cairo Jail, in the same cell in which Azzam Azzam
was held.
Previously, the Egyptians imprisoned another Israeli citizen, Azzam Azzam
, sent to Egypt to train local textile
workers, for 8 years on espionage
charges which Israel
claims are unfounded; no credible evidence has been publicized to date.
Druze
MK Ayoob Kara
has met with Tarabin's family to work to secure his release.
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
. On 2000, The Egyptians
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
arrested 19 year old Israeli Ouda Tarabin after he illegally crossed the border from Israel (his brother suggests he went over to visit his sister in El-Arish).
Illegal border crossings by the Bedouin
Bedouin
The Bedouin are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arab ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ..-Etymology:...
residents of Israel and Egypt are not a rarity; Israel also occasionally arrests Egyptian crossers, who are returned over the border after a short interrogation. Ouda, however, was tried in absentia
In absentia
In absentia is Latin for "in the absence". In legal use, it usually means a trial at which the defendant is not physically present. The phrase is not ordinarily a mere observation, but suggests recognition of violation to a defendant's right to be present in court proceedings in a criminal trial.In...
by Egyptian military court, though never indicted; when he was arrested the court informed him that he has been sentenced to 15 years before he had entered Egypt and that his father had been similarly sentenced in absentia to 25 years for espionage.
Ouda, therefore, had no chance of defending himself in person, and was convicted under Egypt's emergency law, in effect since 1981, granting police sweeping powers of arrest. The stated basis of the prosecution was testimony given by Ouda's Egyptian cousin, Eid Suleiman, who was arrested for similar charges in 1999 and remains in prison today. According to his family, Ouda he has done nothing wrong other than cross into Egypt without the proper documentation. As of August 2008, he is still in a Cairo Jail, in the same cell in which Azzam Azzam
Azzam Azzam
Azzam Azzam is an Israeli Druze who was convicted in Egypt of spying for Israel, and jailed for eight years. He maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, and since, no credible evidence was presented at his trial, and no additional evidence was ever released.-Arrest and trial:Azzam is a...
was held.
Previously, the Egyptians imprisoned another Israeli citizen, Azzam Azzam
Azzam Azzam
Azzam Azzam is an Israeli Druze who was convicted in Egypt of spying for Israel, and jailed for eight years. He maintained his innocence throughout the ordeal, and since, no credible evidence was presented at his trial, and no additional evidence was ever released.-Arrest and trial:Azzam is a...
, sent to Egypt to train local textile
Textile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
workers, for 8 years on espionage
Espionage
Espionage or spying involves an individual obtaining information that is considered secret or confidential without the permission of the holder of the information. Espionage is inherently clandestine, lest the legitimate holder of the information change plans or take other countermeasures once it...
charges which Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
claims are unfounded; no credible evidence has been publicized to date.
Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
MK Ayoob Kara
Ayoob Kara
Ayoob Kara is a Druze Israeli politician. He is currently a member of the Knesset for Likud and Deputy Minister for Development of the Negev and Galilee. He lives in Isfiya, Haifa District....
has met with Tarabin's family to work to secure his release.