Dubai deports 4 HIV positive women inmates

Two women inmates at the Punitive and Reformative Establishments who have tested HIV positive have been deported while two more await deportation for the same reason, a police official said. A decision was received from Public Prosecution last week to deport the four women, who were being kept in a separate ward at the central jail in Aweer, according to First Lieutenant Fatima Shir Mohammad Al Mazemi, Director of the Execution and Follow-up Section. “The four women were serving sentences of seven to ten years for drug-related charges, but the decision was to deport all HIV-positive inmates even if they were serving a life sentence,” Al Mazemi said. Two of the women were deported on Tuesday, another woman deported on Thursday, while the fourth awaits her travel documents. “We have informed her consulate and are waiting to receive her documents,” Al Mazemi said. “The four women, all African nationals, have been assisted by their churches, which provided them with tickets to go back home. Our Human Affairs Section helps inmates who cannot afford a ticket or those who have financial obligations by paying for their tickets and allowing them to go home, and in some cases paying off their debts. “The four include a pregnant woman, who jeopardised her health and that of her baby by swallowing capsules containing narcotics in an attempt to smuggle them and was caught in Dubai Airport,” said Al Mazemi. “A pregnant woman who was smuggling drugs in her guts years ago and was arrested and sentenced gave birth in prison to a baby boy who was born missing some fingers. The boy was given treatment and underwent many surgeries at the expense of Dubai Police and is doing fine now, but he is still in jail with his mother, although he is almost six years old now, as he has no family and no one to take care of him,” Al Mazemi said. All inmates undergo a full medical before admission to assess their health condition. Those with contagious diseases, such as Aids, are kept in isolated wards. “In many cases, women who have Aids became easy targets for drug dealers, as they think they have nothing to lose and want to make some extra money for their families before they die,” Al Mazemi added.