Kuwait commuted death sentence of 15 Indians to life: Govt

The Emir of Kuwait has commuted the death sentence of 15 Indians to life imprisonment, the government on Wednesday informed the Lok Sabha.

In a written response to a question, V K Singh, minister of the state of external affairs, said the sentences of another 119 Indians have been reduced by an "Amiri Decree".

His statement did not give details about the time when the sentences were commuted or about the convicts.

Of the 119, the sentences of 53 Indian convicts were reduced from life to 20 years. Twenty-two were immediately released, while the sentences of eighteen were reduced by three-quarter.

The sentences of 25 Indian convicts were reduced by half, while one convict's sentence was reduced by a quarter.

"The Government of India, through its missions abroad and through bilateral mechanism regularly takes up cases of Indian nationals lodged in foreign jails with the authorities concerned for taking a sympathetic view of all such cases, including in the Middle East countries," Singh said.

In response to another question on whether the government has any proposal to give subsidy to pilgrims to visit Jerusalem, M J Akbar, another minister of state in the External Affairs Ministry, replied in negative.

Jerusalem is a holy city not only for Jews but also for Muslims and Christians.