The Qatar court on Monday released all eight former Indian Navy personnel in its custody, out of which seven have returned to India, said a statement by the ministry of external affairs.
In its official statement, the MEA welcomed the decision of the Qatar court to release the ex-Indian Navy men previously sentenced to death in the country, lauding their home-coming.
Who are 8 Indian Navy veterans freed by Qatar court? Why it’s India’s big diplomatic win?
On December 28, a Qatar court commuted the death sentences awarded last October and sentenced the Indian Navy veterans, to prison for varying durations.
In what can be seen as a major diplomatic win for India, eight Indian Navy veterans, who were sentenced to death in Qatar, were released by a court in Doha. The ministry of external affairs (MEA), in a statement, said on Monday that of the eight Indian nationals, seven have already returned to India. The capital punishment was commuted to an extended prison term earlier following diplomatic intervention by New Delhi.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “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.”
Earlier, the capital punishment for the jailed Indian Navy veterans was commuted to an extended prison term after diplomatic talks between Qatar and India.
The prison term was also shortened after various kin of the jailed Indians approached the MEA, which in turn assured the use of all diplomatic channels and legal assistance to bring them back.
Out of the total eight former Indian Navy officers imprisoned in Qatar, seven have returned to India, said MEA in its statement. Arrangements are being made to bring the last released veteran home.
Why were ex-Indian Navy personnel jailed in Qatar
The eight Indian nationals, formerly Indian Navy personnel, were imprisoned n Qatar in October 2022 after being accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme. They Indian nationals were deemed guilty of espionage by the Qatari court, and were sentenced to death on charges not yet made public.
The Ministry of External Affairs expressed that the ruling of the court was “deeply shocking”, and said that they would explore all legal options to get the charges against the former Indian Navy personnel dropped.
The Dahra Global case saw a major development last year when the court in Qatar commuted the death sentence of the Indian nationals after intervention by the India government. The sentence was reduced to jail terms.
