Dubai to release 11 Pinoy prisoners in observance of Ramadan
Eleven Filipinos detained in Dubai for various offenses are among the 734 prisoners scheduled to be released in observance of Ramadan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.
They were ordered freed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the DFA said.
Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General, the DFA said Dubai’s Attorney General, Mr. Issam Al Humaidan, announced that the public prosecution has begun the legal procedures to implement the Sheikh’s release order, in cooperation with the Dubai Police.
No details on the actual release date/s have been provided.
“Following the report, the DFA continues to coordinate with the Consulate General in Dubai, as well as the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, to determine whether other Filipino nationals have been pardoned in the other Emirates,” the department said.
It is a common practice in Arab states to grant royal pardon to both its nationals and foreigners who are not considered threat to public order during the time of Ramadan.
It covers those who are detained or jailed for petty crimes and violations and who have made restitutions to their victims. These include those whose charges are still being heard by the courts.
However, pardon does not include those arrested for major crimes, or offenses liable for specific punishments under Shariah law.
Jailed expatriates facing deportation or those who violated immigration laws will still have to go through all the necessary government procedures before they are allowed to leave the country.
Aside from Ramadan, prisoners are also granted pardons on special occasions in UAE as humanitarian gestures and symbols of goodwill.
In 2007, two Filipinos with life sentences in Dubai were pardoned from their drug-related charges while nine were sent home in 2006 for the same crimes. —Michaela del Callar and Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
They were ordered freed by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, the DFA said.
Citing a report from the Philippine Consulate General, the DFA said Dubai’s Attorney General, Mr. Issam Al Humaidan, announced that the public prosecution has begun the legal procedures to implement the Sheikh’s release order, in cooperation with the Dubai Police.
No details on the actual release date/s have been provided.
“Following the report, the DFA continues to coordinate with the Consulate General in Dubai, as well as the Philippine Embassy in Abu Dhabi, to determine whether other Filipino nationals have been pardoned in the other Emirates,” the department said.
It is a common practice in Arab states to grant royal pardon to both its nationals and foreigners who are not considered threat to public order during the time of Ramadan.
It covers those who are detained or jailed for petty crimes and violations and who have made restitutions to their victims. These include those whose charges are still being heard by the courts.
However, pardon does not include those arrested for major crimes, or offenses liable for specific punishments under Shariah law.
Jailed expatriates facing deportation or those who violated immigration laws will still have to go through all the necessary government procedures before they are allowed to leave the country.
Aside from Ramadan, prisoners are also granted pardons on special occasions in UAE as humanitarian gestures and symbols of goodwill.
In 2007, two Filipinos with life sentences in Dubai were pardoned from their drug-related charges while nine were sent home in 2006 for the same crimes. —Michaela del Callar and Rie Takumi/KBK, GMA News
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