Qatar accepts India's appeal against death penalty to former navy officials: report

IN a development that would give relief to the families of the former officials of the Indian Navy, a court in Qatar has accepted New Delhi's appeal to study the death penalty handed to the eight personnel who were arrested by authorities of the Middle East nation last year, India's Times Now reported on Friday (24).

The court had announced the death penalty for the Indians in October.

The Indian external affairs ministry had expressed shock over the verdict and had said that the Indian government was exploring all legal options to save the personnel who were reportedly accused of spying for Israel.

Earlier in November, the Indian government said it had filed an appeal with authorities in Qatar over the death penalty.

Indian external affairs minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also met the families of the officials in October and said he shared their pain.

Indian ambassador to Qatar Dipak Mittal also met the officials on October 1.

In 2022, Qatari authorities detained retired Indian Navy officials working for a company in Doha that provided defence services. They have remained in solitary refinement since then.

India has cordial ties with Qatar and has been working on expanding its relationship with the Middle Eastern nation, with a focus on defence and security cooperation. Prime minister Narendra Modi has also visited Qatar a few years ago while other high-level bilateral visits also took place.

Qatar is home to 800,000 Indian nationals who form the biggest expatriate community in that country.