By President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan has ordered the release of 721 prisoners across the country on the occasion of the UAE’s 44th National Day celebrations. Sheikh Khalifa also pledged to settle their debts.
Among these pardoned prisoners are forty-four Sri Lankans who were in different prisons across the United Arab Emirates.
These forty-four Sri Lankans who have received the Royal Pardon will be repatriated to Sri Lanka by the Government of the United Arab Emirates in due course.
Foreign nationals accounted for more than 80 percent of the UAE’s population, according to 2015 International Labour Organization figures.
The kafala (sponsorship) system tied migrant workers’ visas to their employers, preventing them from changing or leaving employers without permission. Those who left their employers without permission faced punishment for “absconding,” including fines, arrest, detention, and deportation, all without any due process guarantees. Many low-paid migrant workers were acutely vulnerable to forced labor.
