Indian fishermen detained in Iran still await release

Manama : Despite orders from Iranian courts, the 30-odd Indian fishermen, who were detained by Iranian cost guards in October 2016, were not as yet released by the Iran port officials, reports said  yesterday.
They are still languishing in their seized boats, moored somewhere in the port vicinity, said the reports.
According to Justin Anthony, President of International Fishermen Development Trust (INFIDET),  who was making the follow up negotiations for the release, the fishermen are still not given permission for their return albeit the orders have been issued on 14 March 2017 to each one of them in hand by the sponsor in the presence of the port administrator.
Anthony said that he had spoken to one of the detained fishermen, George, on 20 March 2017, and, according to him, they were told they could return after five days from 14 March.
Time was lost in the delay in paying penalty to the authorities. But it has been confirmed that the court issued release orders after completing that formality by the sponsors, said Anthony.
Each time the fishermen raised questions to the port officials, the answer was contained in just one word—“soon”, said Anthony.
Anthony said, “They have been contacting the Indian Embassy in Iran to let them know the plight of the fishermen. The detained men have not been given food and water to sustain their life.”
“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,” he said quoting reports from Iran.
However, on further enquiry, it was reported that somebody had approached them and handed Rs 8000 for procuring medicines and food, he said.
Not only the fishermen are worried but their families are also growing anxious, as the release is getting inordinately delayed.
According to latest reports, Iranian officials are waiting for the ongoing holidays to pass. Once the holidays are over officials will release the fishermen, the reports said.