Tariq A. Al-Maeena

 

Some nine months ago in the waters of the Gulf of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, 19 Indian fishermen did not realize that their vessels had drifted into Iranian waters. They were rounded up by the Iranian coastal security authorities and have been languishing in an Iranian jail ever since.



Being poor and without any residual value in the eyes of many politicians, these fisherman, who hail from the Tamil Nadu and Kerala provinces of India, would have found themselves totally abandoned, were it not for the tireless efforts of one specific individual who has been involved in a campaign to win their release.



Dr. P. Justin Antony, a recipient of the National Medal by the government of India and a Youth medal by the Indian Ministry of HRD has also been honored by the UN for his altruistic efforts and literary and social commitments.  He is gathering enough support through personal appeals to release these forgotten fishermen and have them return home to their families, who have been deprived of the financial support of the fishermen, and are in dire economic straits today.



In his appeal to the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (UNCHR), Dr. Antony writes: “We would like to bring to the attention of your esteemed office the injustice meted out to the 19 Indian fishermen, of which 16 are from the Southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu and three from Kerala State. They have been jailed in Iran since December 2012 and no information about them has been received so far. If all the member states put enough pressure on Iran, we hope that it will result in the release of these fishermen.



“These fishermen were working for their Saudi Arabian sponsors. They ventured into the deep sea from Saudi Arabia in December 2012, and due to the bad weather they are said to have crossed into Iranian waters, which resulted in their arrest by the Iranian Coastal Security Guards on 21 December 2012.



“Requests have been sent to the Iranian authorities to release these innocent fishermen based on their documents. They have all the required documents to prove that they are Indians, and fishing in Saudi Arabia. Yet, all our efforts have been in vain. The family members of these fishermen are in tears, worrying about the future of these ailing men.



“In the past such incidents have also taken place, but the documents of the fishermen have been verified and they have been released after a short period under detention. The detention of these Indian fishermen who sailed from Saudi Arabia has been unnecessarily prolonged.



“These fishermen have served their six months detention sentence, but now a new complication has arisen. Apparently, they can be freed only if each of them pays a sum of $5,750. The fate of these fishermen is under question as their Saudi sponsors are said to have rejected paying the penalty involved. And, the families of the fishermen, being from the underprivileged section of society, cannot pay the huge penalty.”



He continues in his appeal.  “We request your good office to kindly intervene in this matter and take the necessary efforts at the earliest to get these fishermen released. Please use your good office to talk to the Iranian authorities and save the future of these fishermen.”



Dr. Antony also claims that “As a part of the campaign for the release of the 16 fishermen from Tamil Nadu jailed in Iran since December 2012, a memorandum has been sent to the UN for their involvement to see the early release of these innocent fishermen. The Indian embassies in Iran and in Saudi Arabia have also been requested to apply pressure on the Iranian embassy in this regard. As a part of this support generating campaign, I met Mr. P.S. Sasi Kumar, Deputy Chief of Mission, at the Indian Embassy in Qatar. Mr. Sasi Kumar needs no introduction. He is a high official, held in high regard for his untiring efforts to gain the release of Indian fishermen, who were held captive in a Qatar jail for crossing the border due to bad weather. Besides, he played a vital role in breaking the long practiced inhuman system of the penalty being paid by the poor fishermen, and forced the wealthy sponsors to pay the penalty.”



Dr. Antony has also written to Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UNCHR, and the Indian Embassies in Saudi Arabia and Qatar, and he has met the Indian Ambassador to Qatar and the Deputy Chief of Mission of the Indian Embassy, Qatar. It is also suspected that the current cool relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia have contributed to the arrest of these Indian fishermen, who inadvertently ventured into Iranian waters from the coast of Saudi Arabia. It is inspirational to note that the plight of these fishermen has not gone unnoticed. The good doctor needs our humanitarian support in his quest to seek the freedom of the imprisoned fishermen.

 

— The author can be reached at talmaeena@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @talmaeena