In a major diplomatic win for India, Qatar’s Court of Appeal commuted death sentences of eight former Indian Navy officers on Thursday. Latest reports say that apart from the family members of the former officials, the Indian Ambassador was present in the court while the verdict was being delivered.
"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….Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with the family… pic.twitter.com/7U8kstibWq
— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2023
— ANI (@ANI) “We have stood by them since the beginning and we will continue to provide consular assistance,” the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement shortly after the verdict.
Earlier this year, in October-end the ex-officials of the Indian Navy who were arrested in an alleged case of espionage, were awarded the death sentence. Back then, India had said that it will continue to explore the legal options. The naval veterans were in the judicial custody in Qatar for over 14 months.
Who are the 8 naval veterans?
The eight veterans who were accused of the espionage are Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Sailor Ragesh, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Commander Amit Nagpal and Commander Sugunakar Pakala.
What happened in 2022?
On August 30, 2022, Qatar’s Ministry of Interior detained all eight veterans for interrogation, followed by solitary confinement. Subsequently, they were formally charged, with the specifics of the charges not disclosed to the public. The naval veterans were later grouped together and allowed to reside in shared accommodations.