Eight ex-Indian Navy personnel sentenced to death in Qatar; India expresses shock

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A local court in Qatar has sentenced eight former Indian Navy personnel to death, a verdict that has left India deeply shocked. These Indian nationals, who were all employees of the Al Dahra company, were detained in August last year in connection with alleged espionage, a report in PTI stated. The exact charges against these individuals have not been publicly disclosed by Qatari authorities, the PTI report added.

Reportedly, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has reacted to this development by emphasizing the high importance of the case and expressing its shock at the death penalty verdict. The MEA is currently exploring all available legal options in response to the situation.

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The MEA said that they have initial information that the Qatar court sentenced eight Indian Navy persons to death and that they were "deeply shocked" and are exploring legal options to safeguard the persons.

The MEA issued a statement saying, "We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgment in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options."

The MEA reaffirmed its commitment to provide consular and legal assistance to the affected Indian nationals and stated that it would also engage with Qatari authorities regarding the verdict. "We attach high importance to this case and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities," the report cited MEA statement.

The statement further noted, "Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture."

India's ambassador to Qatar had met with the imprisoned men on October 1 after being granted consular access.

Espionage case

Reportedly, the eight individuals imprisoned in Qatar since 2022 were accused of allegedly spying on a submarine program. Delhi was granted consular access to them and has been working to secure their release stated an agency report. The first trial in their case was held later in March this year.

With agency inputs