Bid to free prisoners
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 16th May 2007
TWO of the six prisoners who attempted suicide at the Hidd Detention Centre could be sent home within a week.
Sources told the GDN yesterday that the move was in the pipeline after the detainees were taken to the Public Prosecutor to present their cases on Monday.
“I was told that two of them will be leaving shortly, possibly within a week,” said an official, who declined to be identified.
“We are still waiting for news about the others.
“I hope they will do it for all the other men too and that will be the end of it.
Bid to free prisoners
By GEOFFREY BEW
Published: 16th May 2007
TWO of the six prisoners who attempted suicide at the Hidd Detention Centre could be sent home within a week.
Sources told the GDN yesterday that the move was in the pipeline after the detainees were taken to the Public Prosecutor to present their cases on Monday.
“I was told that two of them will be leaving shortly, possibly within a week,” said an official, who declined to be identified.
“We are still waiting for news about the others.
“I hope they will do it for all the other men too and that will be the end of it.
“The most important thing is that they went to the Public Prosecutor which they have been begging to do for so long.
“Maybe they were able to persuade the prosecutor to drop their cases.”
No one from the Public Prosecution or the General Directorate of Nationality Passports and Residency (GDNPR) were available for comment. The prisoners are protesting at being stranded in the centre for around two years because of civil debt cases against them.
They slashed their wrists on Saturday morning, in apparent suicide attempts, in an incident later confirmed by the Interior Ministry.
The same group went on a three-day hunger strike to demand their immediate deportation around six months ago.
The GDN reported last month that the prisoners had offered to give up a kidney or an eye each for transplants, if it helped to secure their release.
Each man owes several thousands dinars and one is understood to be BD13,000 in debt.
Meanwhile, it has emerged that senior government officials are to hold a meeting to discuss the cases of the prisoners.
Migrant Workers Protection Society action committee head Marietta Dias confirmed the event would take place, but said no date has yet been given.
“We have come to know there is going to be a meeting about their case between the Justice Ministry, Public Prosecution and the GDNPR,” she said.
“We are also continuing our work on the sidelines.”
Ms Dias confirmed the wounds the men suffered were not serious and have been described as “superficial”.
The rights worker told the GDN she has had no contact with any of the prisoners since their suicide attempts.
Ms Dias also said that she and a senior Indian Embassy official were denied access to the centre when they attempted to visit on the day the men tried to kill themselves.
“We both went to the centre, but we could not get access because it was an off day,” she said.
“The normal practice is always to give them notice but we thought we would give it a try anyway. However, when we got there they told us to come back with permission.”
© Gulf Daily News