Qatar court reduces death sentence given to eight Indian ex-Navy officers

THE JHARKHAND STORY DESK

New Delhi, Dec 28: In an alleged espionage case, a court in Qatar reduced the death sentences given to eight former members of the Indian Navy last month, the Indian government stated on Thursday.

This comes just a few weeks after the Indian government’s appeal against the Navy veterans’ death sentences was granted by Qatar’s Court of First Instance.

Notably, to determine the next course of action, Indian officials are in close communication with both the legal team and the family members.

Detailed judgement awaited

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reported that the Dahra Global case’s death sentences were reduced by the Court of Appeal of Qatar. It did, however, emphasize that a thorough ruling on the subject is pending and did not elaborate on the court’s ruling.

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“We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced. The detailed judgement is awaited,” said the Ministry of External Affairs in an official statement.

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“Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present at the Court of Appeal today, along with family members. We have stood by them since the beginning of the matter, and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities,” added the statement.

The case

In October, a Qatari court handed down death sentences to eight ex-Indian Navy personnel who had been held in the country for more than a year.

In August 2022, Qatar apprehended eight former Indian Navy officers over allegations of espionage for Israel during their employment with a company in the Middle East.

The ex-officers, including Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh, were detained by Qatar’s intelligence agency in Doha on August 30, 2022.

The Qatari authorities consistently denied bail requests from the Navy veterans, and the Court of First Instance in Qatar pronounced the death penalty in October of this year.