Doha: A court in Qatar has sentenced eight former Indian Navy officers, who were detained in August 2022, to death. The Ministry of External Affairs said on Thursday, October 26 that it was deeply shocked and was awaiting a detailed decision of the court of first instance in the case. “We are in touch with the family members and the legal team and are exploring all legal options,” the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry stressed that they attach high importance to the matter and are following it closely.
“We will continue to provide all consular and legal assistance. We will also raise the decision with the Qatari authorities.” The ministry declined to comment further due to the “confidential nature of the proceedings” in the case against the eight officials.
The eight officers – Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashishtha, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Rajesh – have been kept in custody since August 2022.
Eight Indian Navy officers were working at Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a company that trains the Qatari Emirati Navy and provides logistics services and equipment maintenance.
He is being held in solitary confinement without any public information about his charges, and his family is urging New Delhi for his early release.
