Qatar court commutes death sentence of 8 ex-Indian Navy personnel

“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,” it added.

“Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with 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. 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,” the MEA said.

The Indians were handed the death sentence by a court in Qatar in October. India had termed the ruling “deeply shocking”, and filed an appeal in the case in November.

Days after they were handed the death sentence, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had 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.

The charges against the eight men were filed on March 25 this year, and the trial began on March 29.

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.

Here’s what we know about the eight former Indian Navy personnel.