Death Penalty For 8 Ex-Indian Navy Officers In Qatar; MEA ‘Deeply Shocked’

New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is ‘deeply shocked’ by the verdict of a Qatar court which handed death penalty to eight former Indian Navy personnel.

The eight men, including decorated officers who have commanded major Indian warships, have been detained in Qatar for over a year. They were working for Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm that provides training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies.

The bail petitions of the eight men, who had their first trial in late March. were rejected several times and their detention was extended by Qatari authorities.

Neither Qatar nor India revealed the charges pressed against them.

However, Hindustan Times learnt from people familiar with the matter that the eight men have been charged with espionage. An Indian journalist and his spouse were reportedly ordered to leave Qatar recently for reporting on the case.

The Indian government, awaiting the detailed judgment, will explore all legal options to challenge the verdict.

“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgment in the case involving 8 Indian employees of Al Dahra company. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment,” MEA said in a statement.

“We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options… We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance,” the ministry said.