8 Navy veterans jailed by Qatar released after pardon by Qatari Emir, 7 return to India

8 Navy veterans jailed by Qatar released after pardon by Qatari Emir, 7 return to India

New Delhi: In the early hours of Monday, Qatar released the eight Indian Navy veterans detained by them in August 2022. Seven of the veterans have returned to India according to the ministry of external affairs.

“The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company who were detained in Qatar. Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. We appreciate the decision by the Amir of the State of Qatar to enable the release and home-coming of these nationals,” said the ministry in a statement Monday.

The eight veterans detained in August 2022 were accused of spying on Qatar’s programme to obtain Italian-made, high-tech submarines. The legal proceedings against them had begun on 29 March, 2023, as reported by ThePrint earlier.

“We are all most relieved that the ordeal of veterans and their families is, at last, over. We must give credit to our diplomats for the tough negotiations they must have undertaken behind the scenes. However, the cause of their arrest and long incarceration still remains a mystery,” former Navy chief Arun Prakash told ThePrint.

On 26 October, 2023, a Qatari court sentenced the eight individuals to death, while the MEA received its second consular access on 7 November, 2023 (they first received consular access in 2022). The eight veterans — seven officers and one sailor — were all employees of Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services, a company owned by an Omani national, who was arrested in 2022 but eventually let off. The company carried out projects with the Qatari armed forces.

The charges against the individuals were never officially made public. The death sentences awarded to the eight veterans were eventually commuted by the Court of Appeals in Qatar on 28 December, 2023, with some of the individuals receiving life sentences, while others receiving reduced terms, as reported by ThePrint earlier.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly met with the Amir (ruler) of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit in Dubai, where the “well-being” of the Indian community was discussed.

Significant breakthrough for MEA

On arriving in Delhi, the veterans who gave statements to ANI, lauded Modi for raising the issue of their sentencing with Al Thani. Their release marks a significant breakthrough for the MEA in a case that had been ongoing for nearly 18 months.

“I feel relieved and delighted to finally be back home safe and sound. I wish to thank the Prime Minister as this would not have been possible had it not been for his personal intervention to secure our release. I also wish to express my gratitude to Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar,” said one veteran to ANI.

Another naval officer thanked Modi for his “untiring efforts and interventions” at the highest levels to ensure their release. Another veteran pointed out the close personal relations between Modi and Al Thani as having helped their release.

With inputs from Pia Krishnankutty.

(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)