Death penalty for former Indian naval officers in Qatar: What is the case?

A Qatar court handed down the death sentence to eight Indian nationals on October 26. The Indian citizens are eight former Navy officers. The personnel have been in jail since August 2022, when they were apprehended.

Reacting to the sentencing, the Indian government said the charges against them were not made public by Qatari authorities.

However, the court has handed the penalty following spying charges.

ALLEGATIONS AGAINST EX-PERSONNEL

According to multiple reports, the eight ex-Indian Navy officers are accused of espionage for Israel on Qatar's sophisticated submarines.

The submarines are reportedly coated with special materials for heightened stealth capabilities.

Those sentenced by the court have been identified as 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.

The officers were detained on August 30, 2022.

Significantly, the Qatari authorities have not yet released the charges against officers.

The Indian foreign ministry back in 2022 said that it was following up with Qatar authorities on the detention of Indian nationals who were working for a private company Dahra Global Consultancy Services in Qatar.