Russian Human Rights Council Reviewing Jewish Teacher's Sentence
Ilya Farber, a Jewish schoolteacher, recently was sentenced to seven years in labor camp and fined a large sum after being convicted of corruption. Many believe his trial was unfair and that he was persecuted for his Jewish background. The prosecutor in Farber's initial trial said to the jury "Is it possible for a person with the last name Farber to help a village for free?” referring to the Jewish origin of the last name Farber. The JTA has reported that the Kremlin's human rights council is currently reviewing Farber's prison sentence.
Alexander Brod, head of the Kremlin’s Human Rights Council, told the news website Utro.ru that he initiated a review of the case because he found the sentence to be “too harsh.”