The Ministry of External Affairs on December 28, 2023, said the Qatar Appeals court has commuted the death sentence of eight Indians.
“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. The detailed judgement is awaited,” a media release from the Ministry said.
India’s Ambassador to Qatar, Vipul, the family members of the jailed Indians, and Embassy officials were present in the Court of Appeal when the verdict was pronounced.
A Qatar court on October 26 handed death sentence to eight former Indian Navy officials on charges of spying on a submarine programme on behalf of Israel. They were working in Al Dahra, a Doha-based private defence services provider.
The former Indian Navy officers — Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta and Sailor Ragesh — were arrested by Qatari intelligence service from Doha on August 30, 2022.
An appeal was filed by India against the death penalty awarded to them. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), on November 9, stated that the judgment remains “confidential”, adding that the appeal was filed in the case.
