NEW DELHI: The Qatar court has announced death penalty for eight Indians arrested last year, the ministry of external affairs said on Thursday.
The MEA expressed shock over the verdict and said that the government is exploring all legal options.
“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,” MEA said in a statement.
“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,” it added.
In 2022, eight retired Indian Navy personnel working for a defence services provider company in Qatar were taken into custody by the authorities there. Since then, these men were kept in solitary confinement without the Qatari authorities specifying the reason for the detention to the families of the eight men.
External affairs minister S Jaishankar had told Parliament, last year, that it was a “sensitive” matter and affirmed the case was a matter of “priority” to the Indian government.
The private firm that the ex-naval personnel were working with was involved in the training of Qatari Emiri Navy. It was being speculated that their detention might have something to do with the firm’s rivalry with another firm. While consular access was provided to the eight men, no Qatar authority has said what they were charged with.
