Eight former Indian Navy officers, who had been detained in Qatar for over a year on spying charges, were sentenced to death on October 26, greatly shocking India.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed its deep shock over the verdict and vowed to extend consular and legal assistance to the convicted citizens and explore all legal options.
“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options. We attach high importance to this 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 by the MEA read.
Jairam Ramesh, the chief spokesperson of the opposition Congress party, expressed “greatest anguish” in a recent tweet. He said that the Indian National Congress “hopes and expects that the Govt of India will use its diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatar government to the maximum to ensure that the officers have full recourse to appeals and also do the utmost to get them released at the earliest”
Details of the individuals sentenced to death
The ex-officers were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm providing training and services to Qatar’s armed forces. They were detained without charges in August 2022, amid reports of espionage allegations.
As per the reports, they were accused of espionage related to Qatar’s submarine program on behalf of Israel. Qatar claimed to have electronic evidence supporting these allegations. Their bail pleas were repeatedly rejected, and the verdict was delivered by the Court of First Instance of Qatar.
The individuals facing the death penalty include Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commodore Amit Nagpal, Commodore Purnendu Tiwari, Commodore Sugunakar Pakala, Commodore Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh.
Purnendu Tiwari, one of the detainees, had received the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman award for his contributions to capacity building for the Qatar Navy.
Information about the case has been limited due to its opaque nature. Major media outlets in Qatar refrained from reporting the death sentence, and these eight individuals endured months of solitary confinement before their trial commenced.
India’s External Affairs Minister, S. Jaishankar, highlighted the sensitivity of the case and assured that bringing them back home was a top priority for the Indian government. The legal process had to be followed, and diplomatic efforts were underway to ensure the detained officers’ rights were protected.
Despite questions regarding India’s good relations with Qatar and the detained nationals, the government maintained that legal processes must prevail. The MEA emphasized that the legal process should not be hindered by diplomatic considerations.
In a press conference, Jaishankar acknowledged the lack of clarity regarding the charges but reiterated strong support for the detained individuals, including legal representation. Diplomatic efforts remained on the table, although specific details were not provided.