India’s Foreign Ministry Emphasizes Ongoing Efforts to Retrieve 8 Ex-Navy Personnel Stranded in Qatar.

A Qatari court has conducted three hearings on the appeal filed by eight former Indian Navy personnel challenging the death sentence imposed on them. India continues its focused efforts to repatriate the individuals, stated Arindam Bagchi, the spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, during a regular media briefing on Thursday. While the emir of Qatar granted pardons to numerous prisoners, including Indian nationals, on December 18, India remains uninformed about the identities of those pardoned, Bagchi revealed.

The eight men, including decorated officers who commanded frontline warships in the Indian Navy, were sentenced to death by Qatar’s Court of First Instance on October 26, after being detained for over a year on undisclosed charges, with reports suggesting accusations of espionage. The court’s verdict was not made public, and the case is now in Qatar’s Court of Appeal, with three hearings held on November 23, November 30, and December 7.

Bagchi mentioned that the Indian ambassador in Doha obtained consular access to meet all eight men on December 3. However, beyond this development, no further information is available at this stage. Regarding the pardon list announced by Qatar’s ruler on December 18, Bagchi stated that India has not officially received the list or details about the number of Indians included. Despite recent discussions between the Indian prime minister and the emir of Qatar, Bagchi declined to provide specific details but emphasized the importance of the issue and the ongoing efforts to bring the individuals back to India promptly.

Since the detention of the eight men in August 2022, both the Indian and Qatari sides have provided minimal details about the case. Following the Qatari court’s verdict, the Ministry of External Affairs expressed “deep shock” and committed to exploring all legal options to assist the former naval personnel. The individuals were employees of a subsidiary of Oman-based Dahra Engineering & Security Services, which provided training and services to Qatar’s armed forces. The subsidiary was closed in May of the same year.

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