25-more-indians-on-uae-death-row-govt-tells-parliament

The Indian government has informed Parliament that 25 more Indian nationals are currently on death row in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), though their executions have not yet been carried out. The Centre provided the information in the Parliament on Thursday.

 

Last month, three Indian nationals were executed in the UAE on the same day.

 

The first was Shahzadi Khan from Uttar Pradesh, followed by two young men from Kerala, Muhammad Rinash Arangilottu and Muralidharan Peramattatta Velappil.

 

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, while responding to a query in the Rajya Sabha, disclosed that 25 additional Indians in the UAE face execution.

 

Parliament had sought details from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding the number of Indian prisoners in foreign jails, the number awaiting execution, and the steps being taken to safeguard their lives.

 

Singh informed the House that a total of 10,152 Indian nationals are currently incarcerated in various countries, many of whom are under trial.

 

Addressing those on death row, he identified eight countries with such cases. 

 

Also read: LS, RS adjourned amid opposition uproar over delimitation

 

 

The UAE has the highest number of Indians facing capital punishment, followed by Saudi Arabia with 11, Malaysia with six, Kuwait with three, and one each in Indonesia, Qatar, the United States, and Yemen.

 

The Minister assured Parliament that the Indian government prioritises the welfare and security of all expatriates, including those imprisoned abroad.

 

He stated that Indian embassies and diplomatic missions extend all possible assistance, including legal aid, to ensure that those facing capital punishment can appeal to higher courts or file mercy petitions.

 

Regarding executions of Indian nationals abroad in the last five years (2020-2024), the Minister revealed that three Indians were executed in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia in 2024. In 2023, five Indians each were executed in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.

 

Additionally, one Indian was executed in Malaysia in 2023 and another in Zimbabwe in 2024.

 

Concerning the UAE, Singh stated that no official information about executions had been provided by the UAE administration.

 

However, based on data available with the Indian embassy in the UAE, no Indian citizen has been executed there in the past five years.