Death Sentences
Qatar has released eight Indian ex-naval officers, commuting their earlier death sentences, as announced by India’s foreign ministry on Monday. The decision, made more than 18 months after their arrest, is credited to the Qatari emir. The men were initially charged with spying for Israel, though neither India nor Qatar officially confirmed the charges. The death sentences, handed down in October, were dropped in December.
Seven of the released officers have returned to India, with some attributing their freedom to the “personal intervention” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The men were arrested in August 2022 while working on a submarine project for the Qatari authorities with a private company. The case had strained diplomatic ties between India and Qatar, a significant natural gas supplier to India, one of the world’s leading energy importers.
India engaged in months-long discussions with Qatar to resolve the situation. The announcement follows the recent signing of a substantial deal for liquefied natural gas supplies between Qatari and Indian firms. Prime Minister Modi and Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, had also met in December on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai to discuss the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar.
On the sidelines of the #COP28 Summit in Dubai yesterday, had the opportunity to meet HH Sheikh @TamimBinHamad, the Amir of Qatar. We had a good conversation on the potential of bilateral partnership and the well-being of the Indian community in Qatar. pic.twitter.com/66a2Zxb6gP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 2, 2023
Upon their arrival in New Delhi, some of the released officers expressed gratitude to Modi, emphasizing that their freedom was made possible through his personal intervention and his diplomatic relationship with Qatar. Over 800,000 Indian citizens reside and work in Qatar.
The release marks a significant development in the bilateral relations between India and Qatar, alleviating diplomatic tensions that had arisen due to the high-profile case of the ex-naval officers.
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