8 Navy veterans get death in Qatar, MEA says exploring legal options

India has called the death penalty handed to eight former Indian Navy personnel by a local court in Qatar on Thursday “deeply shocking”, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) saying that it is exploring all legal options.

“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgment in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra company. We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment,” the MEA said in a press release. The government is in touch with the family members of the Indians and the legal team, it said.

The eight former Indian Navy personnel were employees of Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm providing training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces. The firm had been accused of being used by Israeli intelligence to garner information on a top secret defence programme in Qatar, Qatari media has reported.

According to the company’s website, its core area of business focuses on defence services and includes procurement and sale of equipment and systems. It provides after-sales support, total supply chain management and support for land forces, marine sector, special task forces, coast guard and police forces.

The Indian personnel had been detained in August 2022 on alleged charges of espionage. However, the Qatari authorities had not revealed the charges framed against them. The Indian embassy in Doha is reported to have first learned about the detention of the veterans in mid-September. They were subsequently granted consular access in October and December.

Since then, their families have been allowed either weekly visits or phone conversations as well. However, their bail pleas have been turned down multiple times. In April, the MEA said India will not put pressure on Qatar or interfere but keep a close watch on the Qatari legal process.

Qatari law unifies the judicial and Sharia judiciaries into one body called the courts, which include the Court of Cassation, the Court of Appeal, and the Court of First Instance. The latter has chambers to consider both civil and criminal cases, according to the country’s Supreme Judicial Council.

Stressing that it was attaching high importance to this case, the MEA said it had been following it closely. “We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” it said.

Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture, it said.