Detained OFWs in Saudi may be pardoned

More than 400 overseas Filipino workers detained in Saudi Arabia may be given clemency in line with the observance of Hajj, or the Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia already submitted the list of Filipino detainees that could be included in the list. DFA records showed there are 139 Filipino detainees in Jeddah and 300 others in Riyadh charged with different offenses. Nineteen of these detainees are facing capital punishment.

Sources from the DFA said that it has become a practice by the Saudi government to give pardon to detainees after the observation of Hajj pilgrimage or Eid Al-Adha from Feb. 5 to 10. The DFA also reported some 500 of the expected 4,000 Filipino pilgrims have arrived in Jeddah. Most of the pilgrim participants are first timers, the DFA said.

Apart from Eid Al-Adha, the Saudi government also gives clemency after the observance of Ramadan or Eid Al-Fitr and at times during the birthday celebration of Saudi King Fahd bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud.

Two years ago, Filipinos were among the 12,000 released in Saudi Arabia alone on the occasion of Eid Al-Fitr.

A report from the Philippine Embassy in Jeddah showed an initial 41 Filipino inmates, 29 women and 12 males were granted royal pardon upon the orders of King Fahd. The pardon benefitted more than 40 percent of about 30,000 prisoners in the Kingdom, a report from the embassy said.

Meanwhile, a group of Filipino and Hong Kong-based lawyers met on Jan. 17 at the Philippine consulate general in Hong Kong and agreed to cooperate in extending free legal assistance to Filipino migrant workers while they have cases in Hong Kong as well as in the Philippines.