Russian kidnap granny in hospital

A Russian-born woman recently found guilty of kidnapping her grand daughter in an Israeli court is still in hospital, awaiting transfer to prison. Sixty-nine-year-old Isabella Belfer was convicted for helping her daughter Marina smuggle her child back to

Isabella's daughter Marina says her mother's actions were legal and the verdict is unfair.

“The verdict contains not only lots of inaccuracies but gross errors. They say my mother participated in depriving the girl of her father's care. But according to the court decision, after the divorce my daughter remains under my care. The accusation also says that the girl was separated from the people of her father. Why? I don't belong to a different nation. In fact, I have more Jewish blood than he has,” said Marina Belfer.

Isabella is very scared and is coping badly with the situation.

“I feel very weak, both morally and physically. I understand that in the end I am going to jail. The question is how long I will survive there or if I will die straight away,” said the convicted grandmother.

She is under constant police surveillance and a police officer comes in every few hours to make sure she hasn't escaped.

The case was brought to the courts by Isabella's son in law Yaron Rotem who was married to her daughter, Marina, for two years. The couple had a daughter, Lilach, who Yaron has not seen for six years – despite his desperate efforts to find her.

“I don't want to take Lilach out of Marina's hands. I want Lilach to have both mother and father. If Marina will come here she will not go to jail,” Yaron Rotem said.

He believes that if Marina and his daughter return to Israel, Isabella might be freed. But this is not guaranteed and it is the prosecution team who will have the last say.

There's also a possibility of presidential pardon, but this is a lengthy process that can take more than six months. In the meantime Isabella will still have to stay in prison.