India’s military chief, Adm. R. Hari Kumar, told reporters on Monday that “every effort is being made” through the government to “bring relief to our personnel. “
India’s foreign minister said on Monday that his country would “make any and all efforts” to secure the release of eight former military officers sentenced to death by a Qatari court on charges of spying for Israel.
Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he had met with the families of the detained Indians and told them he “attaches the utmost importance” to their cases.
Indian media report that the eight – including former high-ranking and decorated officers, captains who once commanded warships – were arrested in Doha in August 2022.
In a social media post, Jaishankar said he fully shared “the considerations and pain of the families” and that “the government will continue to make any and all efforts to secure their release. “
Qatar has commented on the case and the fees have been made public.
India’s military chief, Adm. R. Hari Kumar, told reporters on Monday that “every effort is being made” through the government to “bring relief to our personnel. “
The convictions were not revealed until last week, when India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had been “shocked” by the case.
The eight men were workers at Al Dahra, a Gulf-based company that provides “end-to-end solutions” to the aerospace, security and defense sectors, according to its website.
The Hindu newspaper reported that the men were spying on behalf of a “third country,” while the Times of India claimed that “several reports claimed they were accused of spying on behalf of Israel. “
The Israeli government has commented on the case.
Meetu Bhargava, the sister of one of the men, denied the allegations.
“My brother is 63 years old. . . Why would he spy for Israel?Why would he do something like that at his age?” Bhargava quoted these words through the Indian Express.
She would seek “personal intervention” from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Last week, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it would provide the verdict to the Qatari government and continue to “provide all consular and legal assistance” to the prisoners.
Qatar rarely carries out executions, and the Gulf state has stated in the past that a death sentence is equivalent to a life sentence.
According to Amnesty International, the country executed a convicted Nepalese migrant in 2020 after a 20-year hiatus.
New Delhi has traditionally friendly ties with Doha, a key supplier of vegetable fuel to India. More than two-thirds of Qatar’s 2. 8 million people are migrant workers, many of whom are Indian citizens.
Qatar, which hosts a Hamas political office and has financial aid for Gaza, has been involved in mediation efforts for a prisoner swap between the Palestinian armed organization and Israel.
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