Arrival of 13 Fishermen in Hodeidah after Five Months of Detention in Sudan without Guilt

Governor of Hodeidah Mohammad Ayash Qahim praised the efforts of the Committee for the Follow-up and Protection of Fishermen’s Cases and its active role in following up the release of 13 fishermen who had been detained for five months in Sudan.

Fishermen were kidnapped when their boat broke down at sea and imprisoned by the Port Sudan authorities. They were released after the Fishermen Protection Committee assigned a lawyer there and the Zakat office paid the fines it ruled against them, even though they had not committed any violations.

Governor Qahim considered the kidnapping and imprisonment of fishermen in Sudan a crime, especially since they are looking for a living, and their involvement in any transgressions has not been proven except that they work in the fishing profession to obtain the livelihood of their families.

Meanwhile, the deputy head of fisheries in the Red Sea Mohammad Al-Omeisy explained that the fishermen were released with joint cooperation and coordination between the Fisheries, the leadership of the governorate, the Zakat office in the governorate, and the Fishermen Support Fund Committee.

For his part, Deputy Director of the Zakat Office in the governorate Mohammad Al-Was confirmed that the fishermen were followed up and their families were taken care of during their imprisonment and kidnapping for more than five months, and the financial fines that were imposed on them by the Port Sudan were paid.

The fishermen explained that their boat had a malfunction while they were fishing in the sea, so they headed to the nearest place to them near Sudan. They were detained and their boat, equipment and everything they owned were confiscated, imprisoned and each of them sentenced to a fine of 300,000 Sudanese pounds.

They confirmed that they were treated harshly during their imprisonment and that they carried out hard labor, despite the critical health condition that some of them suffer from.

They appreciated the efforts of the governorate’s leadership, the Zakat, the Fisheries, the Committee for the Follow-up and Protection of Fishermen’s Cases, and everyone who contributed to following up their case until their release, payment of financial fines, and their arrival to their families.