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How many Indian citizens are imprisoned & facing death penalties in foreign jails?

Indians in foreign jails 2025: MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh stated that the government attaches high priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals in foreign countries, including those in foreign jails.

Two days ago, Talal’s brother had stated that he had approached the prosecution authorities seeking to fix the execution date as “there is no substitute for retribution”. (Express Photo/File)

Indian prisoners in UAE, USA, Malaysia: As Kerala’s Nimisha Priya faces death penalty in Yemen, questions were raised during Parliament’s ongoing Monsoon session about the number of Indian citizens languishing in foreign prisons.

How many Indians in foreign prisons?

In a written statement on July 25 in Lok Sabha, Minister of State (MoS), External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said that the total number of Indians imprisoned in foreign nations is 10,574.

“As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indian prisoners, including undertrials, in foreign prisons at present is 10574,” Singh said. The minister was responding to a question raised by Lok Sabha MPs VK Sreekandan, Kodikunnil Suresh, Thiru Thanga Tamilselvan and Dr Ganapathy Rajkumar P.

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Singh further said: “Due to strong privacy laws prevailing in many countries, the local authorities do not share information on prisoners unless the person concerned consents to the disclosure of such information. Even, countries which share information do not generally provide detailed information about the foreign nationals imprisoned.”

Also Read | Sedatives, torture, and a clinic gone wrong: How Kerala nurse Nimisha Priya landed on Yemen’s death row for killing alleged abuser

Sr. No.	Country	Total number of Indians under trial and convicted in foreign jails at present
1	Afghanistan	8
2	Angola	1
3	Armenia	61
4	Australia	28
5	Azerbaijan	5
6	Bahrain	261
7	Belarus	9
8	Belgium	1
9	Bhutan	71
10	Brunei Darussalam	8
11	Cambodia	24
12	Canada	1
13	Chile	1
14	China	183
15	Congo	8
16	Cote d’ Ivoire	5
17	Croatia	10
18	Cuba	4
19	Cyprus	21
20	Denmark	2
21	Egypt	1
22	Ethiopia	7
23	France	53
24	Georgia	24
25	Germany	81
26	Ghana	2
27	Greece	24
28	Hungary	4
29	Indonesia	25
30	Iran	11
31	Iraq	1
32	Ireland	7
33	Italy	162
34	Jamaica	1
35	Japan	4
36	Jordan	27
37	Kazakhstan	12
38	Kenya	4
39	Kuwait	342
40	Kyrgyzstan	4
41	Laos	6
42	Lebanon	3
43	Madagascar	4
44	Malawi	1
45	Malaysia	380
46	Maldives	10
47	Mali	3
48	Mauritius	10
49	Mozambique	3
50	Myanmar	17
51	Nepal	1357
52	Nigeria	5
53	Oman	121
54	Pakistan	246
55	Philippines	59
56	Poland	14
57	Qatar	795
58	Republic of Korea	4
59	Russia	37
60	Rwanda	2
61	Saudi Arabia	2379
62	Senegal	5
63	Serbia	2
64	Seychelles	1
65	Singapore	138
66	Slovenia	2
67	South Africa	1
68	Spain	39
69	Sri Lanka	60
70	Sudan	1
71	Switzerland	3
72	Tajikistan	1
73	Tanzania	3
74	Thailand	58
75	Turkiye	4
76	UAE	2773
77	Uganda	11
78	United Kingdom	323
79	USA	175
80	Uzbekistan	3
81	Vietnam	6
82	Yemen	1
	Total	10574

(Source: As per written statement by MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in Lok Sabha on July 25, 2025)

How many Indians are on death row in foreign prisons?

According to the minister, 43 Indian nationals are currently facing death sentences in 11 countries. The highest number is in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), while seven countries – Malaysia, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, the United States, and Yemen – each have one Indian on death row.

Country	Number of Indians awaiting death penalty at present
China	4
Indonesia	3
Kuwait	2
Malaysia	1
Oman	1
Pakistan	1
Qatar	1
Saudi Arabia	7
UAE	21
US	1
Yemen	1

(Source: As per written statement by MoS External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in Lok Sabha on July 25, 2025)

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The Union Minister also stated that the government attaches high priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indian nationals in foreign countries, including those in foreign jails.

“Indian Missions/Posts abroad remain vigilant and closely monitor the incidents of Indian nationals being put in jail in foreign countries for violation/ alleged violation of local laws. As soon as the information about the detention/arrest of an Indian national is received by an Indian Mission/Post, it immediately gets in touch with the local Foreign Office and other concerned local authorities to get consular access to the detained/arrested Indian national to ascertain the facts of the case, confirm his/her Indian nationality and ensure his/her welfare. Missions/Posts remain vigilant to ensure that rights of the Indian prisoners in foreign jails are protected,” the minister added.

Anish Mondal

Anish Mondal is a business journalist with over nine years of experience. He writes on diverse subjects such as Infrastructure, Railways, Roadways, Aviation, Politics, Market, Parliamentary affairs, Corporate earnings, General and International news etc. ... Read More

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