Two weeks after eight former Indian Navy personnel, arrested in an alleged case of espionage, were sentenced to death by a court in Qatar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said an appeal has been filed in the case. Meanwhile, India got another round of consular access to the detainees on November 7.
“The judgment is confidential. There is a court of first instance that gave the judgment, which was shared with the legal team. Considering all legal options, an appeal has been filed. We are in touch with the Qatari authorities,” MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.
“We got another round of consular access with the eight Indians on November 7. We are in touch with the family members,” he said, adding that India will continue to extend all legal and consular support in the case
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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.
There was no official word from India on the charges against them. But sources said the former Navy personnel had been working in their private capacity with Dahra Global to oversee the induction of Italian small stealth submarines U2I2.
The eight have been identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Rajesh.
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Days after they were handed the death sentence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar met their family members and assured them that the government attaches “the highest importance” to the case.
Saying that he “fully shares the concerns and pain of the families”, Jaishankar had said the government would make all efforts to secure their release.
India had described the October 27 ruling as “deeply shocking”, and said it was exploring all legal options.
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The charges against the eight men were filed on March 25 this year, and the trial began on March 29. In May, Dahra Global closed its operations in Doha and all former employees (primarily Indians) have since returned home.
In addition to the Indian government’s efforts, the families of the former Navy personnel have also filed a mercy plea to the Emir of Qatar.
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