Fifteen fishermen set to sail on three mechanised boats from Bahrain were arrested by Iran Coast Guard on October 22 2106, while 15 fishermen from Dubai were detained on December 27.
Amid the continuing protest by fishermen in six coastal districts of Tamil Nadu protesting the killing of Rameshwaram fisherman Britjo by Sri Lankan Navy on March 6, as many as 30 Indian fishermen, mostly from Tamil Nadu, were detained in Iran in 2016. The fishermen who were working in Bahrain and Dubai had strayed into Iran's territorial waters and were arrested by the Iran navy.
Fifteen fishermen set to sail on three mechanised boats from Bahrain were arrested by Iran Coast Guard on October 22 2106, while 15 fishermen from Dubai were detained on December 27.
Distressed family members have been petitioning the state and the Central governments, including district collectors, Chief Minister, Minister of External Affairs and embassies in Iran, but, all in vain. "All the fishermen were detained in their boat without food and water. They were held under strict surveillance of the armed forces. Even to attend nature's call, they were taken to the toilet one by one," said Father Churchill, General Secretary of the South Asia Fishermen Fraternity said.
In a video message, one of the fishermen detained in Iran urged the State and the Centre to take steps to release them from the Iran detention. "Our families have given representation to the district collectors in Kanyakumari, Tirunelveli and Ramanathapuram. They also petitioned AIADMK and BJP leaders too. But nothing has happened. When we inquire with the embassy officials, they say we did not get any order from India. The Tamil Nadu government and the Indian government have to issue the order," the fisherman appealed.
Father Churchill said Iran does not follow the custom of informing the Indian embassy if they arrest "our country's fishermen" for trespassing into their waters. "As soon as we got information of the detention. We informed the district collector through whom we inform our embassy in Teheran. In spite of this, our embassy officials are refusing to act, saying that they have not got any direction from the Centre," he said.
After the petition to various government agencies failed to evoke any response, P Justin Antony, founder-president of International Fishermen Development Trust has submitted a memorandum to the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in Geneva against Iran for illegally detaining the fishermen even after payment of the penalty imposed by the local court.
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