India's Ambassador last week met the eight former Indian Navy personnel who are on death row in Qatar, the Ministry of External Affairs informed on Thursday. The ministry further said that two hearings on the appeal filed against the death sentences awarded to the eight Indian nationals have been held so far.
"There have been 2 hearings. We filed an appeal, from the families, and the detainees had a final appeal. 2 hearings have since been held. We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our ambassador got consular access to meet all 8 of them in prison on 3rd December. This is a sensitive issue, but we will continue to follow and whatever we can share, we will do so," the MEA said in a statement on Thursday.
#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says, "You would have seen Prime Minister Modi meet Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Amir of Qatar in Dubai on the sidelines of CoP28. They've had a good conversation on the overall bilateral relationship as well as in the well-being of the… pic.twitter.com/PfcBKtKvnm
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2023
MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad held discussions around New Delhi-Doha bilateral ties and well-being of Qatar's Indian community on the sidelines of the recently held COP28 in Dubai.
"You would have seen Prime Minister Modi meet Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Amir of Qatar in Dubai on the sidelines of CoP28. They've had a good conversation on the overall bilateral relationship as well as in the well-being of the Indian community," Bagchi stated.
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The eight Indian nationals condemned to death have been imprisoned in Qatar since October 2022 and were accused of allegedly spying on a submarine programme. They were sentenced to death by Qatar's Court of First Instance on October 26. The verdict passed by the Qatari trial court is under challenge in a higher court.
The appeal has been moved by the legal team of the imprisoned Indian Navy veterans. "We are deeply shocked by the verdict of death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgement. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team, and we are exploring all legal options," the Ministry of External Affairs had said following the pronouncement of the trial court's verdict.
(With inputs from ANI)