Dubai inmate 45598 walks free after 26 years on death row

An Indian prisoner in Al Awir Central Jail walked free on Wednesday after spending 26 years on death row.

Fifty-six years old Simon Joseph Silvestar, whose identity for most of the past three decades was inmate number 45598, was released after he repeatedly sent mercy petitions every Christmas to the authorities.

This year, he will be celebrating Christmas with his family in Mangalore, according to those helping his bailout.

The release was confirmed by an official of the Directorate General of Punitive and Correctional Establishments, who said Silvestar's name was in the list of prisoners pardoned by the Dubai Ruler, on the occasion of the UAE National Day.

Members of a community church in Dubai raised Dh70,000 to pay blood money to the relatives of a Syrian doctor murdered by Joseph when he was a young salesman at a Bur Dubai boutique.

The family of the Syrian doctor has accepted the money, and Indian consulate in Dubai gave him a ticket and outpass to exit the country after he was released after 28 years behind bars.

During this time, he claims to have mastered at least 15 languages through interaction with other prisoners.

Joseph, one of the long-term inmates in the prison, was sentenced to death on December 23, 1990, two days before Christmas.

A dispute between the two about a Dh500 difference in Joseph's monthly salary and perks led to a heated argument, during which Joseph hit the doctor's head with an ashtray, who later died of brain haemorrhage.

Joseph has been regretting this incident for 28 years now, his family members say. He was in jail for about two years before he was found guilty and sentenced to death, but since judicial executions were stopped, he remained an inmate of Al Awir jail until Thursday.

"He took a flight to India on Thursday morning. This is his long cherished dream and all the inmates in the Al Awir jail are happy about his release," said a friend of the prisoner.
sathish@khaleejtimes.com

• Dubai