DOHA INDIAN fishermen sentenced to imprisonment and QR5000 fine for illegally crossing into Qatari territorial waters are still languishing in jail for failing to pay the fine ordered by the Qatari Criminal Court even after completing their jail terms on Sunday.
On October 18, the court awarded 10 out of 22 Indian fishermen from Bahrain to two week imprisonment and a fine of QR5,000 fines each.
The fishermen are still waiting for their sponsors from Bahrain to come to their rescue.
The jailed men are Thadeuse, Antony, Suthan, Johnson, Anto, Sesu Alex, David, George, Antony George, and Subin.
According to the verdict, the fishermen will spend an additional 50 days in prison if they fail to pay the fine.
First Secretary in Indian Embassy Sasikumar said, “The embassy has contacted the concerned sponsors in Bahrain and they have promised to arrive in Qatar to pay the fine soon.” A total of 22 fishermen onboard seven boats from Bahrain were arrested by Qatar coast guard on October 7 for fishing illegally in Qatari waters.
Meanwhile, the remaining 12 men appeared before the court on Monday. They were also given two weeks imprisonment and fined QR5,000 each. Those sentenced on Monday were identified as Antony, Shaji, Saijumon, Jenifer, Savier, Antony, Michael, Sahaya, Suman, Michael Raj, Sahaya Anto and Sundher.
“The sponsors of these 12 fishermen have arrived in Doha. The fishermen are likely to leave Qatar on Tuesday after completing all bail formalities,” Sasikumar said.
Qatar chapter of South Asian Fishermen Fraternity (SAFF) has urged the Kerala government to pay the fine in order to get the men released if their sponsors fail to do so.
SAAF officials have sent a letter to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu regarding the issue. According to a SAFF source, more than 10,000 Indian fishermen are engaged in fishing in Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
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