New Delhi: Eight Indian Navy veterans were sentenced to death by a court in Qatar Thursday. The charges have still not been made public.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has called the verdict “shocking” and pledged to take up the matter with Qatari authorities.
“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options,” read a statement from the ministry.
The eight former officers worked for Dahra Global Technologies & Consulting Services, a company engaged in training Qatari navy personnel. Last August, they were picked up by Qatari intelligence authorities and incarcerated in Doha.
“We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” the statement added, without specifying the charges.
“Yes, the charges were presented as part of the hearings but I would not like to get into the legal part of it,” said MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi last week. “They have legal representation in court. We are looking forward to what the court judgment is and we hope that they are able to return to India.”
In April, ThePrint had reported that the officers stood accused of spying on the Gulf nation’s secretive programme to obtain Italian-made, high-tech submarines coated with metamaterials that make their detection by adversaries difficult.
Legal proceedings against the eight officers were reported to have begun on 29 March this year.
“This judgment is horrifying,” former Indian Navy Admiral (Retd.) Arun Prakash told ThePrint. “Especially since it comes after a completely opaque process, in which one doesn’t know if our Navy Veterans had a proper defence or how fair the Qatari legal process was.”
According to Anil Trigunayat, a former ambassador and ex-joint secretary for the Gulf & Haj Divisions in MEA, the only way forward would be that the case goes to a higher court. “Right now, it’s in a court of first instance. Then perhaps, a pardon can be sought from the Emir. Unfortunately, all details including charges have not been available in public domain,” he told ThePrint.