On September 17, 2018, the Philippines extradited an Israeli-American to Taiwan where he is suspected of participating in the grisly murder and dismemberment of a Canadian English teacher in New Taipei in August.<\/p>\n
Oren Shlomo Mayer, also known as \u201cOz Diamond,\u201d is 37 years-old.\u00a0 He is suspected of helping to murder Canadian English teacher Ryan Sanjay Ramgahan, whose dismembered body was found on August 22.\u00a0 On August 25, Mayer left Taiwan for Manila.[1]<\/a><\/p>\n The media reported that the 43-year Canadian teacher was walking his dog in a park when two men ambushed him with a chain and machetes, stabbed him to death, dismembered him, and scattered his body parts.<\/p>\n Several days later, police arrested Ewart Odane Bent, a U.S. citizen, as a suspect, along with an alleged Taiwanese accomplice.[2]<\/a><\/p>\n Mayer\u2019s family unsuccessfully filed an emergency petition to the Israeli High Court of Justice requesting the government\u2019s help in preventing his deportation to Taiwan, where they contend he would likely face the death penalty.<\/p>\n Mayer, a tattoo artist, teacher, and alleged drug dealer, was born in Israel and raised in the U.S.<\/p>\n On September 14, 2018, Mayer\u2019s family requested the court to have the Israeli government intervene on his behalf, and request the Philippines extradite him to Israel, rather than Taiwan where they claim he will likely face the death penalty.[3]<\/a><\/p>\n Mayer\u2019s family also requested the court to order the state to issue Mayer an Israeli passport, since the U.S. canceled his U.S. passport.<\/p>\n Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg said the court would issue a response to the petition by September 20.\u00a0 Meyer\u2019s family attorney Nechama Tzivin requested an earlier response because Meyer\u2019s life was at stake, and the government was ignoring the case.[4]<\/a><\/p>\n According to Tzivin, higher-ups in the Interior Ministry have decided not to issue Mayer travel papers which would permit him to return to Israel.[5]<\/a><\/p>\n After the Philippines received the Taiwanese request to arrest Mayer, the Philippine National Police (PNP) established a task force to start a search.\u00a0 On August 29, the Philippine police identified the hotel where Mayer was staying and had tailed him after he fled by bus.\u00a0 However, they lost him after he transferred to a Manila Metro Rail Transit System train.<\/p>\n Subsequently, the PNP interrogated a Philippine woman who was identified on surveillance cameras to be frequently visiting Msyer at the hotel.\u00a0 Once she received assurances of protection from reprisals from Mayer for turning him in, the woman agreed to cooperate with police and informed them of the next residence to which he had moved.<\/p>\n On September 5, the PNP raided the apartment at which Mayer was staying and successfully arrested him.[6]<\/a><\/p>\n On September 8, the media reported that the U.S. government revoked Mayer\u2019s passport, thereby making his continued stay in the Philippines difficult, especially after the Philippines refused a request by Mayer\u2019s family to issue him a passport.<\/p>\n Mayer\u2019s mother denied the accusations against her son and also denied reports in Taiwanese media that her son was a known marijuana dealer.\u00a0 She said her son had a prescription for medical marijuana.\u00a0 She also said his trip to the Philippines so close to the murder was purposes of obtaining a visa.[7]<\/a><\/p>\n Once Mayer returned to Taiwan, he denied involvement in the murder and clashed with an official from the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT), blaming the U.S. authorities for the canceling of his passport.\u00a0 He acknowledged having visited the site of the murder earlier in the day, but denied meeting the murder victim there.<\/p>\n The Taiwanese court has appointed as his attorney someone known for defending prominent murderers.[8]<\/a><\/p>\n Taiwan and the Philippines have an extradition agreement.\u00a0 On May 23, 2018, Taiwanese police arrested Filipino fugitive and former Ozamiz City Councilor Ricardo Parojinog and sent him to the Philippines on July 27.[9]<\/a><\/p>\n The quick action by the PNP illustrates how one state reciprocates to another on extradition matters.\u00a0 The cancellation of Mayer\u2019s passport illustrates how one country can assist other countries in the pursuit of a major case involving a fugitive.\u00a0 Sometimes, the U.S. reserves the option of cancelling passports for situations where the U.S. is the country prosecuting the individual.\u00a0 The effort by Mayer\u2019s family to have the Israeli government intervene also illustrates a step a relator and his family can take, especially when there are arguably international human rights issues (e.g., the death penalty) at stake.<\/p>\n [1]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Keoni Everington, Update:\u00a0 Israeli-American murder suspect to be extradited to Taiwan tonight<\/em>, Taiwan News, Sept. 27, 2018.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Family of Israeli-US murder suspect asks court to help block Taiwan extradition<\/em>, Times of Israel, Sept. 15, 2018.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Id.<\/em>.<\/p>\n [4]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Id.<\/em><\/p>\n [5]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Id.<\/em><\/p>\n [6]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Everington, supra<\/em>.<\/p>\n [7]<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0 Id.<\/em><\/p>\n