For an unpaid rental car bill and defaulting on his credit card payments, Mustak Mahboob ended up in a Dubai jail just as he was about to get married. A year later, the 31-year-old Indian sales superviser remains in prison pending charges for absconding from his employer.
Mr Mahboob's case is clearly one where more transparency would benefit both the penal system and the prisoner.
As The National reports today, India's ambassador to the UAE, MK Lokesh, is planning a campaign that will collect details of Indian prisoners serving time in UAE jails in an effort to determine who is eligible for a prison transfer home. A swap agreement was signed between the two countries in November and could take another three months to be ratified.
To be sure, many prisoners are serving sentences for serious crimes. At the same time, many detainees are in jail for debt. Others may even have served their sentences but remain incarcerated for bureaucratic reasons or pending blood money payments. Greater transparency is needed. Better statistics on the prison population would ease the burden on the legal system, reduce the volume of pending cases and expedite the release of prisoners if debts or blood money can be paid.
The move by the Indian authorities is a laudable one and a step towards ensuring that the well-being of their citizens are safeguarded.
It is also an example that the prison authorities could follow. In a population that includes Emiratis and expatriates, comprehensive, publicly available data on prisoners, their convictions and sentences would serve families, consulates and the prison system itself. Convicts can serve their time without having to be kept in anonymity. And employers can have better data on whom they are hiring.
A new comprehensive database of prisoners across the country, and the crimes they are serving time for, is an important project. The lack of data is not surprising in a prison system that is modernising, but it should be rectified. Publicly available records could also facilitate other exchange agreements such as the one with India.
Such an undertaking would not be easy, but it would be worthwhile. The legal framework in the country would benefit from the transparency as would future investigations. But above all, it would help to ensure justice for every prisoner regardless of nationality.
The specs: 2018 Jaguar E-Pace First Edition
Price, base / as tested: Dh186,480 / Dh252,735
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 246hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 365Nm @ 1,200rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.7L / 100km
Dates for the diary
To mark Bodytree’s 10th anniversary, the coming season will be filled with celebratory activities:
- September 21 Anyone interested in becoming a certified yoga instructor can sign up for a 250-hour course in Yoga Teacher Training with Jacquelene Sadek. It begins on September 21 and will take place over the course of six weekends.
- October 18 to 21 International yoga instructor, Yogi Nora, will be visiting Bodytree and offering classes.
- October 26 to November 4 International pilates instructor Courtney Miller will be on hand at the studio, offering classes.
- November 9 Bodytree is hosting a party to celebrate turning 10, and everyone is invited. Expect a day full of free classes on the grounds of the studio.
- December 11 Yogeswari, an advanced certified Jivamukti teacher, will be visiting the studio.
- February 2, 2018 Bodytree will host its 4th annual yoga market.
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
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LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.