Avoiding death sentences for two Indian migrant workers in Qatar

C. Rajammal, wife of a migrant worker Chelladurai, urges the state
and central government to help them file
an appeal against the death sentence (Photo: DC)

Alagappa Subramaniam from Selathur Pudukottai district, and Chelladurai Perumal from Virudhunager District are two Tamil Indian migrant workers facing a death sentence  in Qatar, while Sivakumar Arasan from Salem District is facing a life sentence. These three illiterate migrant workers didn't receive any legal support to appeal against their sentence and NDWM findings indicate they were not given a chance to prove their innocence.

The Two Tamils were pronounced guilty on charges of murdering an elderly Qatari woman and were condemned to death by shooting. But then they were not given a chance to appeal against the sentence in a court where they don’t know the language or understand the judicial system. Since, the appeal court in Doha confirmed the death sentence of two; they just have till 31st of July left to appeal in Supreme court. Their fate came to light only when Adv. Suresh Kumar, Nagercoil visited these workers in Qatar to follow up the case and it has received a lot of media attention (links here, here, here, here, here and here).

NDWM kindly requests Chief Minister of Tamilnadu and the Union Government to support the families of the two Tamils who are poor and leading hand to mouth existence by providing legal assistance to the three Tamil men to appeal against the sentence. If timely legal assistance is not provided , then two lives of Tamils is lost by denying them the chance to counter the allegations of murder against them.  It is time the Government steps in to protect the rights of its citizens.

Due to the NDWM lobby with the Tamilnadu Government, they have announced they would release
9.5 lacks INR (around 12.700EUR) for the  legal assistance in Qatar for these victims.