Kin of nine fishermen from Kanyakumari district have sought the intervention of the Centre for their release from an Iranian prison where they have been lodged for more than 13 months. The men working in Kuwait were detained on charges of entering Iran’s waters in January 2020. Their relatives lamented that efforts taken by them and money spent had gone in vain. The nine fishermen are Albert Ravi, 38, of Midalam, Godwin John Weldon, 40, Arockia Ligin, 24, Joseph Besky, 50, and Jesudas, 27, of Arockiapuram, Daynas, 40, of Mel Midalam, Sahaya Vijay, 22, of Pallam, Michaeal Adimai, 45, of Chinna Vilai and Velington, 36, of Kottilpadu all from Kanyakumari district. P Justin Antony of International Fishermen Development Trust said the men went fishing from Fahaheel in Kuwait in three boats owned by their Kuwait employer Olith on January 15, 2020. On January 17, they were detained by Iranian authorities in deep sea on charges of entering their waters and were lodged in the Bushehr prison in Iran.
Arockia Ligin’s mother A Carmel Rani, 47, said that her son is the only earning member of the family and shoulders the responsibility of repaying loans to the tune of Rs 7 lakh the fisher family had obtained for the wedding of his two elder sisters. “He had worked in Kuwait for two years and came on holidays in 2019 before returning in November that year,” she said. The 24-year-old last texted his family before going for fishing and the family was worried as they did not receive his call. “After checking with boys from our village who are working as fishermen there, we came to know about the arrest. We have only seen a picture of him in the prison and couldn’t speak to him from then,” she said. Families of the men believed that their employer would take them out of the prison and did not initiate any steps to make representations to the government here. “After waiting for six months in vain we petitioned (late) Kanyakumari MP H Vasanthakumar, fisheries officials and the Kanyakumari district collector mid-last year,” she added.
Rani said they had tried to engage a lawyer in Iran through known persons here and ended spending Rs 90,000 each, but in vain. Mariaprema, the mother of Jesudas, died in June but her son could not attend the funeral. Those detained are the lone earning member of most families, thereby affecting the kin economically and psychologically. Justin Antony said that on Friday they made a representation on this issue in person to the Kanyakumari district collector and also written to the Prime Minister, the chief minister, the external affairs minister, the Indian ambassador to Iran and the Indian ambassador to Kuwait for the speedy release and return of the fishermen.
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