Eid gift for UAE prisoners unable to afford fare home

Seventy-three foreign prisoners who served their sentences but were stuck in jail unable to afford the fare home will spend Eid with their families after donations from the Khalifa Humanitarian Foundation.

The foundation said it decided to pay the travel expenses as part of its commitment to help poor people and timed its initiative to coincide with the end of Ramadan. It added that the prisoners were chosen irrespective of race, colour or faith.

The prisoners were all subject to deportation orders by the courts, but were stuck in jail as they could not raise the funds for their tickets home.

The first of them began their journeys home on Wednesday and all are expected to arrive home for the beginning of Eid.

The foundation said the initiative was being carried out in cooperation with the Ministry of Interior.

newsdesk@thenational.ae