New Delhi: Eight ex-Navy personnel sentenced to death by a Qatar court in October - over espionage allegations - will face commuted punishments, the Indian government said this afternoon. Details about the reduced terms - most likely heavy jail time - are unclear since the judgment has not yet been released.
The Indian government, however, has said it is in "close touch with the legal team, as well as family members, to decide on the next steps". "We have stood by them since the beginning of the matter and we will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also continue to take up the matter with the Qatari authorities," the government said in a statement issued from New Delhi.
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. Details of their conversation were never made public, but there was speculation the sailors' fate was raised.
The arrested naval personnel are Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Amit Nagpal, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Captain Saurabh Vasisht and Sailor Ragesh Gopakumar.
Several of them are highly decorated military personnel who once commanded Indian warships, and were working for a private firm providing 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. They could never spy. There is no proof of allegations..."