India’s envoy to Qatar met eight ex-Navy personnel – sentenced to death in October for reasons still not known – on Sunday, the government said this afternoon. External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “Our Ambassador got consular access to meet all eight in prison on December 3.”
On India’s appeal against the death sentence, Mr Bagchi said, “There have been two hearings so far (these were held on November 23 and November 30). We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. This is a sensitive issue, but we will do whatever we can.”
The next hearing is expected soon.
The Ambassador’s meeting with the sailors has been seen as a positive step – one that addresses concerns over consular access to the eight naval personnel, which seems now to have improved.
News of the meeting with the eight sailors – arrested in August last year by that country’s intelligence agency, allegedly for spying – is being linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with the Qatar ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the side-lines of CoP28 summit in Dubai.
