A court in Qatar has issued a death sentence for eight former Indian Navyofficials, as revealed in a statement by the Indian government on Thursday.
These former Navy officials, namely Captain Navtej Singh Gill, CaptainBirendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal,Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander SanjeevGupta, and Sailor Ragesh, had been apprehended by Qatari intelligenceservices in Doha on August 30, 2022, and subsequent reports indicated thatthey were being tried on charges related to espionage.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed deep astonishmentat the court’s verdict and conveyed that they are eagerly awaiting furtherinformation regarding the judgment.
The MEA acknowledged that they possess initial knowledge about the case,which involves eight Indian employees of the Al Dahra company in Qatar. Inresponse to the death penalty verdict, the MEA is actively exploring legalavenues and maintaining contact with the detainees’ families and legalrepresentation.
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Furthermore, the MEA emphasized the significance of this case and affirmedtheir commitment to offering consular and legal assistance to thoseaffected. They have intentions to engage in discussions with Qatariauthorities regarding the verdict.
The MEA underscored the confidential nature of the proceedings in this caseand refrained from making further comments at this time.