Doha, Oct 27: Eight former Indian Navy personnel were on Thursday handed death penalty in Qatar by a local court, a verdict that India described as “deeply” shocking.The men, employees of Al Dahra company, were taken into custody last August in an alleged case of espionage, but the charges were not made public by Qatari authorities.
In its reaction, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it was attaching “high importance” to this case and is exploring all legal options.
“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement… 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,” it said.
“We attach high importance to this case, and have been following it closely. We will continue to extend all consular and legal assistance. We will also take up the verdict with Qatari authorities,” it said in a statement.
“Due to the confidential nature of proceedings of this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” it added.
Indian ambassador had met the men in prison on October 1.
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