Why were 8 former Indian Navy personnel sentenced to death in Qatar?
According to the Qatar government they are accused of espionage. Photo: dailyO
Qatar shocked many Indians when it announced the death sentence for eight former Indian Navy officials on Thursday (October 26). These individuals had been arrested in August 2022 in an alleged espionage case.
The details
- Eight former Indian Navy personnel received a death sentence in Qatar. Some of these men once commanded major Indian warships and were employed by Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a private firm providing training and related services to Qatar's armed forces.
- According to the Financial Times, the Qatar government found them guilty of "spying for Israel on the Gulf state’s submarine programme".
- However, several reports suggest that were involved in a highly sensitive project, working on Italian technology-based midget submarines with confidential features. But, the Qatari government has accused them of espionage
- These individuals have been in custody since August 2022. New Delhi has actively sought their release, gaining consular access to them for issuing visas and renewing passports.
- Despite this, the court has rejected multiple bail requests since the trial began in March.
Who are they?
The eight former Indian Navy officers are:
- Captain Navtej Singh Gill
- Captain Birendra Kumar Verma
- Captain Saurabh Vasisht
- Commander Amit Nagpal
- Commander Purnendu Tiwari
- Commander Sugunakar Pakala
- Commander Sanjeev Gupta
- Sailor Ragesh
Indian's reaction
The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the issue pertains to the confidentiality of the proceedings and declined to comment further.
They also added: "We’ve been responding to this regularly. Our embassy is actively pursuing the case. We understand that detained Indians are able to speak to their families in India over the telephone now, some of them have families staying in Doha".
Shocked to learn that #Qatar has passed a death sentence on eight former @IndianNavy officers. The details of the entire case are shrouded in mystery & opacity. Trust @MEAIndia & @PMOIndia will act immediately with the highest levels of the Qatar government to support an appeal…
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 27, 2023
Meetu Bhargava, the sister of one of the former officers detained, has sought government assistance to secure her brother's return.
Hon'ble EAM statement on the efforts being made by the Government has really let us down & made to ponder whether by providing legal aid Indian Government has left their Ex Navy officers on the mercy of Qatar when these officers have been subjected to worst kind of punishment 1/3 https://t.co/lwi1Z7II1n
— Meetu Bhargava (@DrMeetuBhargava) June 8, 2023
India and Qatar relationship
The Delhi embassy describes the relationship between India and Qatar as "substantive and strong."
Over the years, both Manmohan Singh (2008) and Narendra Modi (2016) have visited Qatar. Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani also visited India in 2015.
Both countries share a friendly relationship and are interdependent for heavy bilateral trade.
Let's understand by looking at some numbers:
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In 2021, India emerged as one of the top four export destinations for Qatar, while India ranked among the top three sources of Qatar's imports.
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Bilateral trade between the nations is valued at a significant US$15 billion, largely driven by the export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from Qatar, accounting for over US$13 billion of this trade.
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Qatar in the Israel-Hamas war
While Qatar lacks official diplomatic relations with Israel, it has played a crucial role in mediating negotiations between Israel and Hamas in the hostage situation.
How? Qatar is currently working to secure the release of civilians captured by the militant group during the October 7 attack.
So far, four hostages have been freed, and officials in Doha, the Qatari capital where Hamas's political office is located, are actively working on a deal to secure the release of the remaining civilian hostages.