120 Somali pirates freed from India

The last batch of 120 Somalis touched down at Mogadishu’s international airport yesterday after serving up to seven years in jail for piracy offenses, Garowe Online reported.

Seventy-five Somali men received a warm welcome from Mahdi Mohamed Guled Khadar, deputy prime minister, and other government officials. All the men kneeled to kiss Somali soil as they got off the plane, the site reported. India’s navy captured the men off Somalia’s coast and they were charged with piracy.

In early January this year, Somalia received the first batch of 41 returnees, some of them having completed their jail terms. Two Somali prisoners died in Indian custody since being captured seven years ago. The men died from diseases including tuberculosis due to the lack of heath care, according to Garowe Online.

Full story here:Middle East Monitor