New Delhi, Dec 28: The External Affairs Ministry announced on Wednesday that eight former Indian Navy personnel who were found guilty of espionage had their death sentences revoked by a Qatari court. The ministry released a statement saying, “We have noted the verdict of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced.” The Court of First Instance in Qatar sentenced the eight ex-Indian Navy members to death in October after they were detained in connection with a suspected espionage case.August 2022 saw the arrest of the Indian nationals, who were all workers for Dahra Global, a company based in Doha. The authorities in Qatar withheld the charges against them from the public. Last month, India filed a motion with the Court of Appeal in Qatar to overturn the death penalty. The family members were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with our ambassador to Qatar and other officials. Since the start of the situation, we have supported them, and we will keep offering all possible legal and consular support. We’ll keep bringing up the issue with the authorities in Qatar as well,” the statement read.The ministry stated that it was in close communication with the legal team and the family members to determine the next course of action, while acknowledging that a comprehensive ruling was still pending. “It would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture due to the confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings of this case,” the MEA stated.
