New Delhi: The Indian government has appointed lawyers in the UAE to defend the 17 Indians convicts in Sharjah for killing a Pakistani national.
The Indian mission will be appealing against the sentence in a week. Union Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur met the families of the 17 men in Patiala.
"Authorities in Sharjah have been taking services of prominent lawyers to seek their assistance and the appeal to the higher court will be made within the prescribed period of two weeks from the date of judgment by the lower court. High Commissioner of the UAE has been called by Ministry of External Affairs and secretary level officer was in touch with them consistently," said Parneet.
The family members of the 17 men have asked the government to secure their release.
"Our request to the government is to bring back our boys, for that purpose we have met her. She (Preneet Kaur) has assured us that we will file a plea and bring back the boys," said Kamlesh, mother of a man facing the death sentence.
UAE, too, has said that its legal system guaranteed fair trial and the death sentence to the 17 Indians was subject to appeal and annulment by the rule of law.
"The UAE Embassy in New Delhi has been following press reports with regard to convicted Indian nationals in Sharjah. Death penalty in UAE legal system is subject to appeal and cassation by the rule of law without any interference from the parties. We fully trust our legal system and its procedures and we are sure that it will provide and guarantee a fair trial to the convicted," the UAE Embassy in New Delhi said in a statement.
The 17 Indians were sentenced to death by a lower court for killing a Pakistani over an illegal alcohol business dispute in Sharjah in January 2009.
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