Eight ex-Indian Navy officers sentenced to death by Qatari court

NEW DELHI,OCTO 26: In a rather shocking, unexpected and tragic turn of events, the Qatari court announced the death penalty for the eight naval veterans who have been under judicial custody for over 14 months.

“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgment in the case involving 8 Indian employees of AI Dahra company,’’ Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.

“We are deeply shocked by the verdict of the death penalty and are awaiting the detailed judgment. We are in touch with the family members and the legal team and we are exploring all legal options,’’ MEA added.

India attaches high importance to this case and has been following it closely.

“We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,’’ says MEA.

Due to the confidential nature of the proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture, the MEA added.

-PTI