On Death Row In Qatar: Big Relief For 8 Indian Navy Veterans

This afternoon, the Indian government declared a reduction in the sentences of eight ex-Navy personnel who a Qatari court had sentenced to death in October for undisclosed charges. The judgment’s release is pending, leaving the details of the expected substantial jail time for the revised punishments unclear.

The Indian government, in close touch with the legal team and family members, is deciding on the next steps. “We have stood by them since the beginning, and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with Qatari authorities.”

The arrested personnel are Purnendu Tiwari, Sugunakar Pakala, Amit Nagpal, and Sanjeev Gupta, who are Commanders, and Navtej Singh Gill, Birendra Kumar Verma, and Saurabh Vasisht, who are Captains. The eight is Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar. The charges against them were never made public.

These individuals, once commanders of Indian warships and highly-decorated military personnel, were working for a private firm that provided training and related services to Qatar’s armed forces. Families of the eight spoke to NDTV and flatly denied the spying allegations. They were “not engaged in espionage for Israel”, the families said. “They went to build the Qatari Navy and build that nation’s security and could never spy. There are no proof of allegations…”

Per a 2015 agreement, Indian authorities can repatriate prisoners convicted in Qatar to serve the remaining sentence in India. A similar provision applies to Qatari citizens convicted in India. The next steps in this case are currently unclear.

In jail since August, they faced a brief March trial, leading to death sentences imposed on October 26. Bail was denied numerous times during their incarceration and trial. They immediately lodged an appeal, and last month, the Qatari court accepted it. The eight were working for Dahra Global Technologies and Consultancy Services when arrested.

Commuting of the death sentence comes weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met the Qatari ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the side-lines of CoP28 summit in Dubai. While never publicly disclosing details of the conversation, there was speculation that they raised this issue.

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