Three Uzbeks Sentenced to Death in UAE for Murder of Israeli-Moldovan Rabbi

A court in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has sentenced three Uzbek nationals to death for the murder of Rabbi Zvi Kogan, a dual citizen of Israel and Moldova. The verdict, issued on March 30, has not yet been publicly confirmed by UAE authorities, according to The Times of Israel. Reports of the sentencing began circulating on social media, including an audio recording purportedly featuring one of the convicted men informing his family of the court’s decision. In the recording, the man urges his mother and sister to trust in Allah, ask for forgiveness on their behalf, and remain patient. The recording’s authenticity has not been independently verified. Israeli diplomatic sources, however, have confirmed that the UAE has indeed imposed the death penalty. The three convicts, Olympi Tohirovich, 28; Makhmodjon Abdulraheem, 28; and Azizbek Kamilovich, 33, were arrested in Turkey shortly after the crime and later extradited to the UAE. Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has acknowledged the sentencing but noted that the legal process is still underway. “This is not yet the final verdict. In the UAE, the death penalty is automatically appealed and sent to the Criminal Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court,” ministry spokesperson Ahror Burhonov told Kun.uz. The government of Uzbekistan has not publicly commented on the case’s merits or the broader diplomatic implications. Rabbi Kogan, 28, was a member of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and had been living in the UAE for several years. He was reported missing in Dubai in November 2024, and his body was later found in Al Ain, near the Omani border. According to The Wall Street Journal, the suspects attempted to kidnap Kogan and transport him to Oman. Some of the perpetrators reportedly fled to Turkey following the incident. The Israeli government has denounced the killing as an “anti-Semitic terrorist attack.” Rabbi Kogan had played a key role in fostering Jewish life in the UAE following the 2020 Abraham Accords, which normalized relations between Israel and several Arab states. He was instrumental in establishing kosher food services and founding the country’s first Jewish education center.