Doha: A Qatar court has handed a death sentence to eight former Indian Navy officers, who were detained in August 2022.
The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday, October 26, said that it was deeply shocked and awaiting the detailed judgement by the Court of First Instance in the case. “We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stressed that they attach high importance to the case and have been following it closely.
“We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” the statement added. The ministry refused to make any further comment due to the “confidential nature of proceedings” in the case against the eight officers.
Here’s all you need to know about eight ex-Indian Navy officers
Who were the eight Indian officers?
The eight officers — Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Rajesh.
Where did they work?
They worked at Qatar’s Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services. It is a private company that offers training and various other services to the defense and security agencies of Qatar.
The company, which employed 75 Indian nationals, primarily former Navy officers, was shut down in May 2023, according to Al Jazeera.
When were they arrested?
The former Navy men were first picked up by the state security bureau, the Qatari intelligence agency on August 30, 2022. The Indian embassy came to know about the development in mid-September, 2022.
This incident of arrest came to light when Meetu Bhargava, sister of Commander Purenendu Tiwari on October 25, 2022, tweeted and appealed to the government for help.
Meetu Bhargava in a series of tweet said, “Eight #IndianNavy veterans who had served the motherland are in illegal custody/detention in Doha (Qatar) for 57 days as on date. Request & plead our Indian Govt to act fast & get all these distinguished officers repatriated to India without any further delays @narendramodi.”
In another tweet, Meetu has tagged Prime Minister and several ministers including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Puri.
According to Indian Express, on September 30, the men were allowed to contact their families via phone. For many months they were allowed to make calls weekly once. The first visit by an official of the Indian embassy was granted on Sunday, October 1.
Though the charges against the men are not public, it is learnt that each have been kept under solitary confinement indicating they could have been arrested for security-related issues.
The trial began in March, followed by a second trial in June, and the seventh hearing took place on Tuesday, October 3 in Doha.
India-Qatar friendly ties
India and Qatar have always had friendly relationships. In 2021, India became one of the top four export countries and the top three sources of imports for Qatar. Trade value – LNG and LPG exports from Qatar touched $15 billion.
The Indo-Qatar defence relationship is described as a solid foundation for their friendship. The India-Qatar Defence Cooperation Agreement, signed during Prime Minister Singh’s November 2008 visit, was a significant turning point. The agreement was extended for another five years in 2018.
Indo-Qatar naval armies
Indian Naval and Coast Guard ships regularly visit the Arab country. Joint naval exercises with the Qatari Emiri Naval Force (QENF) happened in 2021.
