India said on Thursday that the Indian ambassador has been granted consular access to meet all eight Indians convicted to death in Qatar on December 3.
“There have been 2 hearings. We filed an appeal, from the families, and the detainees had a final appeal. 2 hearings have since been held. We are closely following the matter and extending all legal and consular assistance. Meanwhile, our ambassador got consular access to meet all 8 of them in prison on 3rd December. This is a sensitive issue, but we will continue to follow and whatever we can share, we will do so,” said Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the External Affairs Ministry, in a weekly briefing.
In October, a Qatar court sentenced seven retired navy officers and a sailor to death. The eight men worked for Al Dahra Global Technologies, a private company that provided training and other services to Qatar’s armed forces and security agencies. They were held on unspecified charges since August of last year, with reports claiming they were charged with espionage.
#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi says, "You would have seen Prime Minister Modi meet Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Amir of Qatar in Dubai on the sidelines of CoP28. They've had a good conversation on the overall bilateral relationship as well as in the well-being of the… pic.twitter.com/PfcBKtKvnm
— ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2023
India describes the verdict as “deeply” shocking and has vowed to investigate all legal options in the case. An appeal against the death sentence has already been filed and a higher court in Qatar has admitted the plea. The legal team for the imprisoned Indian nationals has filed an appeal.