Indian Government Pledges All Effort to Free 8 Former Navy Personnel Sentenced to Death in Qatar on Espionage Charges
Convicts, employees of Al Dahra company and alleged spies for Israel, have been detained in Qatar since October 2022; Indian government maintains close coordination with their families as legal options are explored.
- The eight detained Indian ex-navy personnel have been charged with espionage by Qatari authorities, accusing them of spying on behalf of Israel. They are employees of Al Dahra, a Gulf-based company offering support solutions to aerospace, security and defence sectors.
- The Indian government, through its Foreign Minister S Jaishankar and Navy Chief Admiral R. Hari Kumar, ensures to make every effort to secure the release of the eight Indians. The Government is reported to have close coordination with the detainees' families, expressing that they attach the 'highest importance' to the case.
- The specific charges filed against the Indian detainees have not been disclosed to the public by either the Indian government or Qatari authorities. The Indian Navy Chief mentioned not having received the transcript of the court hearing yet.
- India, maintaining historically friendly ties with Doha, a key supplier of natural gas to the country, signaled its shock at the Qatari court's death sentence ruling. The court's detailed judgement on the case is yet to be awaited by the Indian Foreign Ministry.
- Executions are rare in Qatar with a death sentence usually equivalent to a life sentence. The most recent execution was of a condemned Nepali migrant worker in 2020, after a 20-year hiatus
South China Morning Post 
