Image credit - MEA
In a significant development, the Indian envoy in Doha held a meeting with eight former Indian Navy personnel who were sentenced to death by a Qatari court in October. This meeting, which occurred on December 3, marked the first opportunity for the envoy to meet the detainees since their sentencing.
Consular access to the detainees was granted to India on November 7. However, it was only on December 3 that the Indian ambassador, Vipul, was able to visit them in prison. Arindam Bagchi, the official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, confirmed this during a press briefing on Thursday. He stated, “We are closely monitoring the situation and providing all necessary legal and consular assistance… Our ambassador obtained consular access to meet all eight of them in prison on December 3.”
This consular access was granted shortly after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. The meeting took place on December 1, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai. During their discussion, the two leaders focused on strengthening the bilateral partnership and ensuring the well-being of the Indian community residing in Qatar.
This meeting comes weeks after the Indian government appealed against the death sentences imposed on the eight men for alleged espionage. The appeal, filed before an appellate court in Qatar, was accepted in the last week of November. Since then, two hearings on the appeal have been conducted, with the third hearing taking place on Thursday. Following the decision of the Court of Appeal, the case will proceed to the Court of Cassation.
The employees of Dahra Global, an organization based in Doha, Qatar, who are Indian nationals, were detained in August 2022. The specific charges against them have not been disclosed by the Qatari authorities. However, a report from the Financial Times suggests that they were accused of spying for Israel. It has been revealed that these individuals were working privately with Dahra Global to oversee the introduction of the Italian small stealth submarine U2I2.
The detained individuals 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.
India has expressed deep shock over the ruling and is exploring all available legal options in response to the case. In November, the Qatari authorities accepted the appeal filed by the Indian government, and the next court hearing is expected to take place soon. The Indian embassy in Qatar was also granted consular access to the imprisoned Indians in November.
Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), mentioned the recent meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad during the COP-28 summit in Dubai. The two leaders extensively discussed bilateral relations and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar, as stated by the MEA spokesperson.