JEDDAH, 13 October 2006 — More than 11,000 prisoners, who were being held for petty crimes, have been released over the last three months under two amnesties declared by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah.
“As many as 8,570 prisoners benefited from the first amnesty declared by the king on June 10,” said Maj. Gen. Ali ibn Hussein Al-Harithy, director general of prisons.
He said the release of prisoners under an amnesty declared this Ramadan would continue until the end of the holy month. “We have already released some who were held for violating private rights,” he said in comments published by Al-Watan Arabic daily.
King Abdullah declared the first amnesty at the start of his tour of the Kingdom, which took him to the Eastern Province, Hail, Qassim and Madinah.
Al-Harithy said the prisoners were being released after a careful study of their files by panels comprising representatives of the governorates, prisons, police and the commission for investigation and public prosecution.
The amnesty does not cover those held for murder, drug trafficking, money laundering, armed robbery and forgery.
“The amnesty came as a big surprise for me,” said a Saudi after his release. “The royal pardon will encourage people to lead lives in obedience to the country’s rules,” said another who benefited from the amnesty. “Punishment in Islam is a corrective measure, not a torture. Muslim leaders and individuals offer pardon inspired by religion. It’s a strong measure for mental reform and for correcting mistakes,” he explained.
Some 120 Indian prisoners, who were either working illegally or overstaying in the Kingdom, were among the beneficiaries of the amnesty. Sources said more than 20,000 Umrah overstayers, including Indians and others, had been detained during the last six months in the Western Province alone.
Asked about the plan of the Indian missions to seek royal pardons for Indian workers during Ramadan this year, an official said: “We will ask for royal clemency for more workers this time.” A number of workers, mostly from Kerala, are in Saudi prisons and deportation centers. Many of them are unable to play blood money for accidents resulting in deaths for which compensation has to be paid.
These workers are hopeful that the Indian government will plead for their release during Ramadan this year. Three hundred and thirty-three Indian workers were granted royal clemency last year and 585 the year before. The Saudi government has pardoned a total of 2,376 Indians in the last five years.
