Qatar Commutes India ex-Navy Officers’ Death Penalty

An appellate court in Qatar has commuted the death sentence handed out to eight former Indian Navy officers earlier this year, allegedly over charges of espionage.A statement from the Ministry...

Ruby Thakur
December 29, 2023
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An appellate court in Qatar has commuted the death sentence handed out to eight former Indian Navy officers earlier this year, allegedly over charges of espionage.A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced.”

Qatar Commutes India ex-Navy Officers’ Death Penalty

Why In News

An appellate court in Qatar has commuted the death sentence handed out to eight former Indian Navy officers earlier this year, allegedly over charges of espionage.A statement from the Ministry of External Affairs said, “We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced.”

It added, “The detailed judgement is awaited. We are in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps.”
In October this year, a Qatari court sentenced the men to death, following which the MEA said it was “exploring all legal options”.

Who Are The Eight Former Navy Men In Qatar

Eight former Indian Navy personnel — Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh — were working in Qatar at Al Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a defence services provider company.

Of them, Commander Sugunakar Pakala (Retd) served as an engineering officer in the Navy, holding the unique record of crossing the equator twice aboard INS Tarangini, a 500-tonne sailship. A decorated officer, he received a commendation from the commander-in-chief

What Were The Charges

The men were arrested in August 2022. At the time, MEA spokesman Arindam Bagchi said that questions of charges of arrest “should be directed to the Qatari authorities”.
The family members and MEA officials also said that Qatar had not informed them of the charges.

Sources said the Indians had been working in their private capacity with Dahra Global to oversee the induction of Italian small stealth submarines U2I2. According to a report at the time of the death sentences being announced, “A person briefed on the case confirmed, That the eight Indians had been charged with spying for Israel.”
The men met India’s Ambassador in Doha in October 2022 and received limited access to relatives via phone calls. It was later learnt that they were undergoing solitary punishment.

Conclusion

The people cited above said the Qatari court had commuted the death sentence of all eight men and given them prison terms of varying duration.
“The death sentence is off the table. The prison terms vary from a few years to several years,”

The commutation of the death sentence makes it possible for India to invoke a 2015 agreement with Qatar on the transfer of sentenced persons.
The pact allows citizens of India and Qatar who have been convicted and sentenced for criminal offences to serve their sentences in their home country.
The agreement – signed during a visit to India by the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, in March 2015 – is not applicable to persons sentenced to death.
The external affairs ministry said the Indian side is in close touch with the legal team and the families of the eight men to “decide on the next steps”.

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Ruby Thakur

General Studies Lecturer SSBCrackExams, BSc In PCM, Trained Students For State Services Exams. Expertise in Geography ,Polity & Current Affairs. Love Travelling.