Dubai Only 10 per cent of Indian prisoners held in UAE jails have opted for a jail swap programme that will see them transferred to Indian jails to serve their remaining prison terms, T.P. Seetharam, Indian ambassador to the UAE, told XPRESS.
The low percentage of takers for the swap deal signed by the UAE and India is considered an indication of the level of satisfaction among inmates regarding prison conditions in the UAE.
“None of the prisoners that I have met complained against the general condition inside the prisons,” said the ambassador.
“There are no complaints registered with respect to treatment standards or provisions of special and general needs as well as health, rehabilitation and recreational care for all inmates,” he was quoted in a press release by the UAE Ministry of Interior. He also said the survey regularly conducted by the embassy officials to review the conditions of Indian nationals has yielded positive results.
Proximity to families
“The 10 per cent of inmates who expressed willingness to be transferred to Indian jails cited proximity to their families as the main reason,” the envoy told XPRESS.
India and the UAE signed a prisoner exchange deal in November 2011 and the pact was ratified by the UAE in May 2013. As per the agreement, about 1,200 Indian prisoners in the UAE (including 40 women) will have the choice to spend their remaining prison termx (if they are more than six months) in India. Those on trial and sentenced for financial crimes are not eligible.
“When we conducted the survey, there were 1,200 Indian prisoners in UAE jails. But now the numbers have come down to around 900 because some them have already finished their terms. Others have been pardoned,” the envoy added.
Inmates who had initially signed up for the transfer had expressed disappointment at the inordinate delay in implementing the programme. “I had signed up for a transfer six months ago. Now I am losing hope,” a prisoner had told this reporter earlier.
Logistics and security issues for transferring prisoners were then cited as the reasons for the delay. There were also reports from India that the already over-crowded Indian jails are ill-equipped to receive more prisoners from the UAE.
When asked about the delay, Seetharam said now that the numbers are with the UAE officials, things should start moving.
“I won’t say there is an inordinate delay. Officials are working on the plan, and we hope the transfer would happen without much delay.”
