Qatar Releases Eight Former Navy Officials Held on the Accusation of Spying
Image Source: Livemint
The Qatari court has made the latest decision to set the 8 former Indian navy officials free after they were previously sentenced to death in October 2023. The 7 veterans have already returned to India with a warm welcome upon arrival.
The case first made headlines when, in August 2022, these officials, who were employees of the company called ‘Dahra Global Technologies and Consulting Services’, a private firm advising the Qatari government on submarine acquisition, were arrested on unspecified charges. Although the charges were not revealed, several international media outlets believed it to be the accusation of spying for Israel in the submarine program.
The officials were tried under Qatari law in March 2023 and, much to India’s shock, they were sentenced to death as a legal punishment in October 2023. Following this, an Indian legal team consisting of renowned lawyers filed an appeal against this sentence, which was eventually accepted by the Qatari court. After diplomatic efforts and various negotiations, specifically PM Modi’s meeting with Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani at the COP28 Summit in Dubai, the death sentences were commuted to prison terms of varying lengths in December 2022.
On February 12, the Union Government of India released a statement welcoming the veterans and stated: “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals.”
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