New Delhi: Nearly a fortnight after the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that the eight former Indian navy officials who were given death sentences by the Qatari government were reduced to lifetime imprisonment, the foreign ministry said that the Indian envoy along with embassy officials met with all the concerned and took stock of their health and other well being. "Our ambassador, along with our embassy officials, met the eight detained. As we had conveyed to you last time, the legal team is looking into the appeal aspect. There is a period of 60 days within which they have to file this appeal," said Randeep Jaiswal, MEA spokesperson during the weekly press conference here.
"On December 28, the court of appeal had given their verdict. Now, the matter is to go to the court of secession, which will be decided by the legal team...We still have some time. The consular access we had, our ambassador went and met and looked after their well-being," he added.
While speaking to reporters on the weekly briefing on January 4, Jaiswal underscored that the matter is pending in the Qatari court and noted the issue is both "sensitive" and "legal" and therefore he would not share the detailed judgement.
"On the 28th of December, the Court of Appeals had given a judgement. We had already issued a press release wherein we had confirmed that the death penalty had been converted into life sentences. Now we have the legal document which is confidential in nature. The legal team has access to it," said an MEA spokesperson. "We are in touch with the family members and with the legal team. The Court of Cassation, the highest court of appeal in Qatar, has given 60 days to the legal team to decide the next course of action," he added.
What happened: Story so far
Earlier last week, the external affairs ministry issued a statement on the verdict in the Dahra Global case in Qatar and said, "We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced."
"The detailed judgment is awaited. We are in close touch with the legal team as well as the family members to decide on the next steps."
"Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with the family members. We have stood by them since the beginning of the matter and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities," it said.
"Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture," the MEA said.
Who are the 8 Indians lodged in Qatar jail
The Indian nationals, who were working with Doha-based Al Dahra Global Technologies, were taken into custody in August 2022 in an alleged espionage case. While the charges against them were not made public by Qatari authorities, they were sentenced to death by Qatar’s Court of First Instance in October this year.
The private firm provided training and other services to Qatar's armed forces and security agencies. India had moved the Court of Appeal in Qatar against the death sentence last month.
"Our Ambassador to Qatar and other officials were present in the Court of Appeal today, along with the family members. We have stood by them since the beginning of the matter and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities," the ministry statement said.
