India Expresses Shock After Qatar Orders Death Penalty for 8 Indians

An Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30 flies past an Indian national flag during the inauguration of Aero India 2009 at the Yelahanka Air Force Station in Bangalore, India, on Feb. 10, 2009. Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP via Getty Images

The Indian government said on Thursday that it was “deeply shocked” by the Qatari court’s decision to sentence eight Indian nationals to death on unspecified charges, adding it was exploring “all legal options.”

The Court of First Instance of Qatar has passed a judgment against eight Indian employees of a private company in Qatar, according to India’s External Affairs Ministry, without providing any details about the case.

The ministry said it attaches “high importance to this case” and would take up the matter with Qatari authorities. India pledged to provide all consular and legal assistance to the detained nationals.

“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of [the] 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,” the ministry said in a statement.

“We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely,” it added.

The ministry also stated that it would not make any further comment about the case at this juncture, citing the “confidential nature of proceedings.”

Neither India nor Qatar has officially stated the charges against the men. Indian media have reported that the eight men are former Indian navy officers who have been under the Qatari authorities’ custody since August 2022 over alleged espionage charges.

The Epoch Times could not independently verify the charges.

The eight men were employed at Al Dahra, a private company that manages submarine projects for the Qatari authorities, The Hindu reported.

According to the news outlet, the detained Indians were involved in “training various security-related service providers” for the company. Their trials took place in March and June this year, and they were also given consular access.

Jairam Ramesh, a spokesperson for India’s opposition Congress Party, has urged the Indian government to “use its diplomatic and political leverage with the Qatar government to the maximum to ensure that the officers have full recourse to appeals and also do the utmost to get them released at the earliest.”

“The Indian Congress has noted with the greatest anguish, distress and shock the most disturbing development in Qatar regarding eight former officers of the Indian Navy,” Mr. Ramesh told The Hindu on Oct. 26.

The ruling comes as Qatar is trying to negotiate with the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas for the release of over 200 hostages seized during its Oct. 7 rampage in Israel, which is pummeling Gaza with aerial strikes in response.

Reuters contributed to this report.