Doha freed eight Indian Navy veterans who had been given death sentences in Qatar on Monday, marking a significant diplomatic win for India.
After New Delhi’s diplomatic intervention, the death penalty was earlier commuted to a longer prison sentence. The anxious family of the Navy veterans had begged for their release and a safe return to their country, and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had promised to use all diplomatic channels as well as set up legal support to get them back.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced in an official statement on Monday that seven of the eight former Navy officers have already returned to India.
The decision to release the veteran officers was welcomed by the Union government, which issued an official statement stating, “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals.”
The eight citizens of India were detained in Qatar since October 2022 on suspicion of spying on a submarine project. On charges that have not yet been formally made public, a Qatari court sentenced the retired naval personnel to death.
According to a press release from the Ministry of External Affairs, the Qatari Court earlier commuted the death sentences of eight former Indian naval officers who it had detained in the Dahra Global case last year. The punishment has now been lowered to jail time.
The Ministry of External Affairs described the ruling as follows: “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 Ministry of External Affair salso said that the detailed judgement in the case is awaited and are in close touch with the legal team in Qatar. Ministry of External Affairs added, “The detailed judgement is awaited. We are in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps. Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with the 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.”
Addressing the “well-being of the Indian community” residing in Qatar as well as bilateral partnerships, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar on the fringes of the COP28 conference in Dubai.
The timing of this period was underscored earlier by Mr. Jaiswal, the recently appointed spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs. He said, “As far as the issue is concerned, there is a time of 60 days when this issue can be appealed in the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court in Qatar.”
The confidential court order that details the commutation of the death sentences to imprisonment terms is in the possession of the Ministry of External Affairs’s legal team. This information was made public in a press release subsequent to the court of appeals’ decision on December 28.
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In big win for India, Qatar frees Indian Navy veterans jailed on espionage charges
