October 30, ANI, New Delhi, India: S. Jaishankar, the minister of external affairs, met with the families of the eight Indians who are being held in Qatar on Monday and gave them the assurance that every effort would be made by the government to obtain their release.
The government gives the “highest importance” to the matter, according to the EAM, and will work closely with the families in that respect.
“I had breakfast with the families of the eight Indians who are being held in Qatar. emphasised that the government views the matter as having the utmost significance. I completely empathise with the families’ worries and suffering. emphasised that the government would keep working to achieve their release. X (previously Twitter) is where Jaishankar tweeted, “Will work closely with the families in that regard.”
This comes after the eight former navy officers who were being held in Doha received the death penalty as a ruling from the Court of First Instance of Qatar.
The Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said that it was “deeply shocked” by the decision and that it is now awaiting the full ruling.
“We have initial information that the Court of First Instance of Qatar has today passed a judgement in the case involving eight Indian employees of Al Dahra Company,” a statement from the MEA said.
“The death sentence conviction has startled us greatly, and we are awaiting the full judgement. We are discussing all available legal alternatives and staying in contact with the family members and the legal team,” it said.
The MEA continued by saying, “We take great pride in this matter,” and that they have been closely monitoring it.
“We have been carefully monitoring this matter and placing a great deal of significance on it. We will persist in providing comprehensive consular and legal support. We’ll discuss the ruling with Qatari officials as well,” the MEA statement said.
“Due to the confidential nature of the proceedings in this case, it would not be appropriate to make any further comment at this juncture,” it said.
Since October 2022, eight Indians have been detained in Qatar on charges of purported espionage on a submarine development.
After granting the eight Indians consular access, New Delhi began negotiating for their release. In late March, the Indian nationals went through their first trial. The ANI
