New Delhi: Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar has met the families of eight former Indian Navy veterans facing death penalty in Qatar, on Monday. The Minister assured that the government will continue to make all efforts to secure the release of the said octet.
The Minister took to social media to reveal his meeting and the assurances he has provided for to the families.
"Met this morning with the families of the 8 Indians detained in Qatar. Stressed that Government attaches the highest importance to the case," Jaishankar said in the post, without referring to them as Indian citizens but not as former Indian Navy veterans.
Fully share the concerns and pain of the families. Underlined that Government will continue to make all efforts to secure their release. Will coordinate closely with the families in that regard, he wrote further.
On 26 October, eight former Indian naval officers who were arrested by Qatar in August 2022 on charges of spying for Israel were sentenced to death.
They were identified as Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, and Sailor Ragesh.
The former Indian Navy personnel were working for Dahra Global, which was tasked to with the induction of stealth submarines into the Qatari Navy.
The Ministry of External Affairs, when the verdict came, said it was "...deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and is awaiting the detailed judgment."
"We are in touch with the family members and the legal team and we are exploring all legal options," it had said.
"India attaches high importance to this case, and has been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities."
It is pertinent to note that Qatar has made not made any public statements about either the convictions, or the trial conducted by the Court of First Instance in Qatar.
Charges too have been opaque in the said case, which culminated in the trial court awarding death sentences to all eight.
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