Qatar court commutes death sentence of 8 ex-Indian Navy officers
The appellate court in Qatar has commuted the death sentence that had been handed to eight former Indian Navy officers. A detailed court order is awaited, but the Indian government said the sentence has been reduced.
“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 Affairs said. “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.”
The Indian Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal, alongside 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,” the MEA said.
“Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” it said.
This comes weeks after the Indian government appealed against the death penalty, handed to the men for alleged espionage charges by a Qatar court on October 26. An appeal filed before an appellate court in the country was accepted in the last week of November.
The Indian nationals, all employees of Doha-based Dahra Global, were taken into custody in August 2022. The charges against them were not made public by Qatari authorities. According to a report in the Financial Times, they were charged with spying for Israel.
