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In major diplomatic victory, Qatar releases eight Indian Navy veterans jailed on 'espionage' charges

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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had earlier assured that it would mobilize all diplomatic channels and arrange legal assistance to bring them back.

Of the eight former naval officers, seven have already returned to India.

New Delhi: In a major diplomatic victory, Qatar on Monday released eight Indian navy veterans jailed on charges of 'spying' in the Arab country. These eight Indian Navy veterans were sentenced to death in Qatar. The death penalty was earlier commuted to an extended prison sentence after diplomatic intervention by New Delhi.

Amid desperate pleas from the concerned relatives of the Navy veterans to secure their release and safe return to their homeland, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) had assured that it would mobilize all diplomatic channels and arrange legal assistance to bring them back to bring.

Of the eight former naval officers, seven have already returned to India, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement on Monday.

One of the Navy veterans who returned from Qatar says, “It would not have been possible for us to stand here without Prime Minister Modi's intervention. And it also happened due to the continuous efforts of the Indian government.”

Another Navy veteran who returned from Qatar said, “We waited almost 18 months to get back to India. We are extremely grateful to the Prime Minister. It would not have been possible without his personal intervention and his comparison with Qatar. We are grateful to the Government of India from the bottom of our hearts for all the efforts made and this day would not have been possible without those efforts.”

The Union government released an official statement welcoming the decision to release the veteran officers and said: “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals who worked for the Dahra Global company and were detained in Qatar . Seven of the eight have returned to India. We appreciate the decision of the Amir of the State of Qatar to facilitate the release and homecoming of these nationals.”

The eight Indian nationals had been held in custody in Qatar since October 2022 and were accused of spying on a submarine programme. The retired naval personnel were sentenced to death by a court in Qatar on charges that have not yet been officially made public.

Earlier, the Qatari court commuted the death sentences of eight ex-Indian naval officers it had arrested in the Dahra Global case last year, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a press statement. The punishment has now been reduced to prison terms.

Describing the verdict, the State Department said: “We noted today the ruling of the Qatar Court of Appeal in the Dahra Global case, which reduced the sentences.

“The MEA also said that the detailed judgment in the case is awaited and they are in close contact with the legal team in Qatar.

MEA added: “The detailed judgment is awaited. We are in close contact with the legal team and the family members to decide on the next steps. Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present at the Court of Appeal today, together with the family members. We have supported them from the beginning of the case and will continue to provide all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to discuss the matter with the Qatari authorities.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai and discussed the bilateral partnership and the “welfare of the Indian community” living in Qatar.



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