Prisoners could serve sentences back home

Dubai: Indian prisoners in the UAE will be able to continue their jail terms in their home country, if they wish, based on a bilateral agreement between the two countries which is under negotiation.

A bilateral agreement between India and the UAE is in process which allows the transfer of sentenced prisoners between the two countries, a senior Indian diplomat said.

M.K. Lokesh, Indian Ambassador in the UAE, told Gulf News the convicted Indian prisoners will be helped to go home to serve their sentence but the UAE will bear their daily expenses in Indian prisons.

"Convicted Indians can request to serve their jail term in India. This is done under humanitarian grounds. The request can be made by the Indian or the UAE government or by the prisoners."

After the request is made, he said, the prisoner will be transferred to India while the UAE punitive law will be strictly enforced on the transferred prisoners.

"This is not applied on death-sentenced prisoners who cannot request to go home." He said transfers would be done only with the consent of the prisoners and their families.

He said as part of the agreement, Emiratis imprisoned in India would be able to finish their jail terms in their country.

A senior official at the UAE Ministry of Interior said the agreement will be signed between the two countries soon.

"Convicted prisoners involved in financial crimes or those sentenced to death cannot finish their imprisonment in India," he said.

Follow-up

He said there would be a legal department at the UAE Embassy in India to follow up the cases of prisoners who go to Indian jails.

"A legal officer at our embassy will follow up the transferred prisoners in India who will be only accountable to the laws stipulated by the UAE," the ministry official said.

Some Indian prisoners told Gulf News they would only complete their jail terms here in UAE.

"Compared to Indian jails we prefer to stay in Dubai jail rather than going back to India," said a prisoner serving life. He said the authority here is generous and most policemen are kind and work on humanitarian bases only.

"We will have hope as people are big-hearted and we could get more chances to be pardoned," he said.

"Going to Indian prisons is a suffering for us," he said.

V.G., 44, said he also prefers Dubai jail.

"I will stay here. I will spend the rest of my jail term here and then go back," he said.

"I know the law and the rules. The jail facility is also perfect. Added to that the agreement is new and there will be a lot of confusion in it and we do not want to be the victims."

Another prisoner, in jail for 13 years, said his government never asks about him.

"I will complete my jail term and then go back," he said. "Dubai jail is very clean, with good facility, health care and it is hygienic and for sure it is better than jails in India."

S.S, 45, said there is no point going to Indian jails.

"I am about to finish my jail term. In Dubai there is fair law. While people are not corrupted here and they are dealing on humanitarian basis," he said.

His brother, who is also in jail agrees with S.S.

"I prefer to finish my jail term in Dubai," he said.

Another prisoner in Ajman said he is in jail for almost 10 years and no one from his embassy ever asked about him.

"I cannot believe they will take us to India because they care for us," he said, adding he would finish his jail term here.

A prisoner in Sharjah jail said she will not go back.

"My family lives in a remote area where there is no jail over there," she said.