Emir of Kuwait commutes death sentence of 15 Indian nationals

Emir of Kuwait Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah has commuted the death sentences given to 15 Indians lodged in a Kuwaiti jail to life imprisonment.

"HH the Emir of Kuwait has been pleased to commute the sentence of 15 Indian nationals from death to life imprisonment. HH the Emir has further directed the reduction in sentence of 119 Indian nationals," India's External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said in a series of tweets on Saturday.

Swaraj also expressed India's gratitude to the Emir of Kuwait for this kind gesture and said that the Indian mission in Kuwait will provide all possible assistance to the Indian nationals being released from the prison.

"We are grateful to the Emir of Kuwait for this kind gesture.Indian mission in Kuwait will provide all possible assistance to the Indian nationals being released from the prison," she tweeted.

Earlier, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had urged the Ministry of External Affairs to take up the issue of Indian prisoners languishing in jails in the Middle East.

Citing the release order of 149 Indian prisoners who are currently lodged in jails in Sharjah, Chief Minister Vijayan in a letter to Swaraj, had requested the MEA to direct the diplomatic missions in UAE and other Middle East countries to seek the release of Indian prisoners in jails of these countries on humanitarian countries.

"As you (Swaraj) are aware the ruler of Sharjah Dr. Sheikh Syukltan Bin Mohamed Al Qasami had visited Kerala between 24th and 26th of September 2017. Both Ministry of External Affairs and state government have been receiving large number of representations from Indian citizens who have been sentenced to jail in civil offences, especially in Middle East countries which have stringent legal frameworks. In this context, I had requested His Highness to consider their release as a humanitarian gesture. This request was immediately agreed to and 149 Indian prisoners were ordered to be released," he said in a letter to Swaraj.

"In this context, it is suggested that citing this gesture of Sharjah, If Indian Government takes up this issue with other Emirates in UAE, we may be able to secure the release of a large number of similarly placed Indians. It is requested that MEA may seriously consider taking this step and direct the diplomatic missions in UAE and other Middle East countries to pursue this request," he added.