Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kuwait, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Employment and Tourism, and the Ministry of Justice & National Integration of Sri Lanka launched the transfer of the first batch of Sri Lankan sentenced prisoners from Kuwait.
The first batch of 32 prison inmates who had been sentenced for various crimes were repatriated to Colombo on 25 November 2024, aboard Kuwait Air Force aircraft C-17, escorted by officials from the interior Ministry, armed forces and medical personnel of Kuwait.
The prisoners transferred are expected to serve their respective remaining period of sentences in prison facilities in Sri Lanka, in line with the provisions of the agreement on transfer of sentenced persons, signed in 2007 between the two countries.
The prolonged transfer of prisoners that remained unresolved since early this year due to challenging economic conditions, has come to fruition with the strenuous effort of the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Kuwait that managed to secure a dedicated Kuwait Air Force Aircraft free of charge.
The remaining sentenced persons exceeding 70 in number are expected to be transferred once cleared by the relevant authorities.
Ambassador of Sri Lanka in Kuwait, Kandeepan Balsubramaniam and officials of the Mission were present at the Abdulla “Air force Base” during the handing over of the Sri Lankans to the authorities.
Embassy of Sri Lanka
Kuwait
27 November 2024
