Indian Navy officers were arrested by Qatar in August 2022 on suspicion of working as Israeli spies...
Digital Desk: Eight former Indian Navy members who had been held in Qatar for more than a year were given death sentences by a court there on Thursday. The Indian government responded to the ruling by expressing its profound shock and stating that it is exploring all possible legal actions.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated in an official statement, "We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options."
"We attach high importance to this case, and we have been keeping a close eye on it. We will keep providing all legal and consular support. We'll discuss the ruling with the authorities in Qatar as well," it added.
However, MEA acknowledged in its statement the confidential nature of the proceedings and said that it would not be commenting further at this time.
Eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested by Qatar in August 2022 on suspicion of working as Israeli spies while they were employed by a Qatari company.
On August 30, 2022, the Qatari intelligence agency detained the former Indian Navy officers, who included Captains Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, Saurabh Vasisht, Amit Nagpal, Purnendu Tiwari, Sugunakar Pakala, Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh.
The Qatari authorities repeatedly turned down the Navy veterans' bail pleas. A Qatari Court of First Instance announced the death penalty earlier in the day.
The veterans of the Navy were accused of spying on Israel's submarine program, media reports stated. Authorities in Qatar have further stated that they possess electronic proof related to the issue.
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