Hiiraan Online
Sunday July 9, 2017
Toronto (HOL) - Somali Ambassador to India H.E Ms Abyan Mahamed Salah has told HOL that she is very hopefull that all Somali inmates held in an India jail facing piracy charges will soon be transferred to Somalia.
An Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Somali and India that details the terms of the prisoner repatration will be signed by the Somali Foreign Minister, Yusuf Garaad Omar who will be in India soon. In the agreement, the inmates will serve out their prison terms in a Somali jail. Many of the inmates have already served as much as three years in prison.
The Ambassador said that a total of 118 alleged pirates were currently being held in India.
Two Somali inmates held in an India jail facing piracy charges have died while in custody.The Ambassador added that there is no formal prisoner extradition treaty with India, the MoU will apply to future cases where a Somali citizen is jailed in India.
There are about six thousand Somalis living in India, mostly students or part of the vibrant business community.
Indian courts have charged dozens of Somalis with piracy in the past.
An Indian navy person stands guard as alleged pirates are produced before the media in Mumbai, India,Thursday, Feb 10, 2011. Indian navy on Sunday captured 28 suspected Somali pirates from a Thai fishing vessel after a brief exchange of gunfire in the Indian Ocean, an official said. Rafiq Maqbool, Associated Press