Jaya urges PM to rescue fishermen jailed in Iran

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha on Sunday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to take measures through diplomatic channels for the release and repatriation of 16 Indian fishermen lodged in a jail in Iran.

She said the fishermen were engaged as contract labourers by a private company in Saudi Arabia. “These fishermen, in the course of their fishing activities, ventured into Iranian waters and were arrested by the authorities in Iran in December, 2012,” she added.

She said the fishermen, who had no access to legal aid, were tried and convicted by an Iranian court to undergo six-month imprisonment and pay a fine of $ 5,750. As they are not in a position to pay the fine the 16 fishermen are still in the jail, she added.