Ex-Navymen given death in Qatar accused of spying for Israel: Report

NT Correspondent

New Delhi/Doha, Qatar: Eight former Indian navy personnel who were sentenced to death by a Qatari court on Thursday have been accused of espionage for Israel, according to sources from both countries who spoke to Reuters.

As of Friday evening, neither Qatar nor India has officially disclosed the charges against the individuals who were arrested in August 2022. A government official in India, familiar with Doha's position, stated that Qatari authorities accused them of spying for Israel.

These former Indian navy personnel, while working at Al Dahra, were reportedly involved in a classified project related to Italian small stealth U2I2 submarines.

Both sources shared this information with Reuters on the condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case. Qatar's government declined to provide an immediate comment on the sentences, and there has been no immediate response from the Prime Minister's office in Jerusalem, which oversees Israel's intelligence services.

This ruling comes at a time when Doha is engaged in negotiations with the Palestinian militant group Hamas to secure the release of more than 200
hostages taken during an October 7 attack in Israel, which has led to airstrikes on Gaza in response.

Govt should step up efforts to repatriate 8 Indians from Qatar: Veteran's kin

Visakhapatnam, Agencies: The Indian Government should step up its efforts and bring back the eight Navy veterans who have been sentenced to death by a Qatari Court for alleged espionage, a relative of one of the eight former Naval officers from Andhra Pradesh said on Friday in Visakhapatnam.

Eight former Indian Navy officers were arrested on August 30, 2022 and sentenced to death on Thursday by the Qatar court. C Kalyan Chakravarthy, brother-in-law of Sugunakar Pakala, one of the eight veterans, appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs (MEA) Minister S Jaishankar to obtain the release of the veterans.

“All of these men are above 50 years and went to Doha to earn a livelihood. Why would they spy and for what benefit? So, I request the Government to get my jijaji (Pakala) and other men to India,” Chakravarthy said.