A group of 32 out of 104 Sri Lankan prisoners serving sentences for drug-related offences in Kuwait were brought back to Sri Lanka yesterday, it was reported.
According to the Lankadeepa newspaper, the Sri Lankan prisoners were serving their sentences at Kuwait’s Central Jail after being arrested by Kuwaiti security forces and convicted on charges of using, trading, smuggling and transporting dangerous drugs.
They were brought back to Sri Lanka under a prisoner exchange agreement signed between Kuwait and Sri Lanka in 2007, arriving at the Katunayake Airport last afternoon.
The return was facilitated by continuous discussions initiated by Sri Lanka’s Ambassador to Kuwait, Kandeepan Balasubramaniam since March.
Following the discussions, the Sri Lankans were brought back via a C-17 aircraft, the largest in the Kuwaiti Air Force fleet.
Despite the Sri Lankan prisoners being repatriated, no Kuwaiti prisoners are serving sentences in Sri Lanka at present, while this also marks the first implementation of the agreement. (Newswire)
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