CNBC
Eight retired Indian Navy personnel, detained by Qatari authorities for over a year on undisclosed espionage charges, have now been sentenced to death.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) expressed shock over the sentencing and said on Thursday that it is awaiting the detailed judgement of the matter.
“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving 8 Indian employees of Al Dahra company.
We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options.
We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities. Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” the MEA statement read.Last week, in its weekly media briefing, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi informed that the seventh hearing in the case of the eight men was held on October 3, and India is closely following the proceedings in the court of first instance…
