Qatar government has granted general amnesty to 17 Nepali migrant workers serving prison terms for various offences.

They were released on the occasion of Eid festival. Earlier, the Nepal Embassy in Qatar had requested the Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to pardon the migrant workers.

Nepali Ambassador to Qatar Ramesh Prasad Koirala said a majority of the jailed Nepali workers had been arrested for drinking offences and petty thefts.

“The crimes committed by these workers may seem minor in Nepal. In Qatar, however, these crimes are harshly punished,” he said.

According to the embassy, 29 Nepalis are still languishing in Qatari prisons. Some of these prisoners are said to be serving time because they cannot afford legal service.

The number of Nepali prisoners receiving amnesty from the Qatar government was considerably high this year.

“Response to our clemency requests has very positive in the recent years. Only a handful of Nepali prisoners used to be pardoned in the past,” said Ambasador Koirala.

In 2014, the Qatar government had freed 19 Nepali migrant workers who were serving prison time for failing to post bail amounts. The following year, 21 Nepalis were freed from prison. The Qatar government had also waived off a fine amount of 200,000 Riyal (around Rs 5.6 million) levied on two Nepalis who were convicted in drug trafficking case.  The latest batch of pardoned Nepali prisoners will be transferred to detention centres before they are repatriated. The Qatari authorities will arrange their air tickets as well as pay for other expenses. (PR)