The Indian government has announced the release of eight Indian Navy veterans who were imprisoned in Qatar on suspicion of spying. Seven of them have already returned to India following an 18-month detention in the Middle Eastern nation. The Government of India expresses gratitude for the decision made by the Amir of Qatar to facilitate the release and repatriation of these individuals employed by Dahra Global company.
The veterans did not have prior information of their release and were taken away by embassy officials shortly after they were freed. They boarded an IndiGo flight yesterday and returned after 2 am, they added.
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Indian Navy Veterans Sentenced to Death in Qatar: Background and Outcome
Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vasisht, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal, and Sailor Ragesh were arrested in August 2022 and had been in jail since.
They were employed by a private firm, Dahra Global, and were in Qatar to assist with the introduction of Italian U212 stealth submarines into the Qatari Emiri Naval Force in their personal roles. A Qatari court sentenced them to death on October 26, 2023. India had said it was “deeply shocked” by the verdict and that it was exploring all legal options.
The death sentence was reduced in December, following a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatar’s Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani during the COP28 summit in Dubai. Now returned to India, the Navy veterans expressed gratitude to PM Modi and the government for ensuring their freedom.
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