HRANA News Agency – Three citizens of Somali and three citizens of India who were arrested in the dhow. According to them they were not even in the Iranian sea, however they have been sentenced to fines of 2700 million IRR and it is about 1 year and 6 months that they are kept in Zahedan prison with the problem of lack of familiarity with the language and laws and without communication with their families.
According to the report of Human Rights Activists News Agency in Iran (HRANA), six Somalian and Indian sailors were arrested by Iranian Coast Guard on charge of smuggling fuel and their dhow was fired during the arrest about 1 year and 6 months ago. The fate of six foreign sailors in Zahedan prison is still unknown.
Ayoub Mahmoud, 21-year-old from the town of Bosaso in Puntland Somalia is one of the six sailors.
An informed source of foreign sailor’s situation said in an interview with a reporter of HRANA: “Ayoub Mahmoud is one of the six sailors who owns the dhow and his dhow was fired and sank during the arrest and even their fuel has been confiscated from them. They were not in Iranian waters, according to Ayoub.”
The informed source added: “In talking with him, he did not know even the branch of the court, just mentioned Mr. Ljayy as the judge. He was tried without a lawyer and was sentenced to pay 2700 million IRR fine.”
He also said at the end: “He has PayPal online accounts and documents and passports but the officials do not allow him to access to pay the fine. Ayoub Mahmoud said that it was about 1 year and 6 months that his family did not know where he was, and if he was alive or dead.”