Qatar Frees 8 Navy Veterans Detained On Spying Charges In Big Diplomatic Win For India

Doha: In a huge diplomatic win for India, Qatar has released eight Indian ex-naval officers who were imprisoned for spying charges.

Though they were sentenced to death, the sentences were commuted in December following India’s intervention.

The eight men were accused of spying while working at Al Dahra, a consulting company in the oil-rich Gulf state that advises the Qatari government on submarine acquisitions.

They were imprisoned in 2022 and handed death sentences in October that were reduced to prison sentences after India said it was exploring legal options and filed an appeal.

“The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals working for the Dahra Global company 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,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Seven out of the eight of them have returned to India. The Indian Navy veterans returned to Delhi and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his intervention.