NEW DELHI: Following a Qatar court’s verdict sentencing eight Indian army veterans to death on October 26 in Doha, the Indian ministry of external affairs said they were “deeply shocked” with the verdict.
The MEA said, “We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement.” They further added that the ministry was in touch with the family members as well as their legal team. “We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” the ministry said.
The eight veterans have been identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashisht, Commander Purenendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh. These eight officials are said to be part of “Dahra Global” which is, purportedly, defunct now.
FLASH: MEA responds to the verdict in the case of 8 Indians detained in Qatar.
“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.
It…
— The New Indian (@TheNewIndian_in) October 26, 2023
Presently, the Qatari government has yet to officially announce the charges that have been levied against the veterans. The Indian government has also chosen to remain tight-lipped about it.
Initially, the charges had been filed on March 25, although they had been detained by Qatari officials in August 2022, and later sent to solitary confinement.
Reportedly, the family members of the eight detained Indian Navy veterans have filed a mercy petition with the country’s Emir seeking their pardon.
MEA, while acknowledging the confidential nature of proceedings and not finding it appropriate at this juncture to comment, added that they will raise this with the Qatari authorities. “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 ministry said.
It has been claimed that the eight veterans have been charged with espionage and corruption charges.Its reported that 8 officials are charged with espionage and corruption charges.