2 hearings by Qatar court in ex-navy men case: MEA

A Qatari court has conducted two hearings on the appeal filed by families of eight former Indian Navy personnel against the death sentence given to them, and a third hearing is expected soon, external affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday.

- Rezaul H Laskar

The eight men, including decorated officers who commanded frontline warships in the Indian Navy, were sentenced to death by Qatar's Court of First Instance on October 26 after being detained for more than a year on undeclared charges. Reports have suggested that the men were accused of espionage.

"As you know... the families and the detainees have filed an appeal. Two hearings have since been held. One, I think on November 30, and the other on November 23. I think the next hearing is coming up soon," Bagchi said in response to questions at a regular media briefing.

"We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our ambassador got consular access to meet all eight of the men in prison on December 3. We will continue to follow [the matter]," he said.

Bagchi skirted a question on whether the issue of the eight men had figured when Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 Summit in Dubai. He said the two leaders had a "good conversation on the overall relationship as well as the well-being of the Indian community" in Qatar.