Upon returning from Qatar, freed Navy veterans yell “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and compliment Prime Minister Modi

Seven of the eight Indian navy veterans who were sentenced to death on “espionage” charges, who had spent several agonizing months in captivity in Qatar, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi upon returning home, stating that they would not have been freed if it weren’t for his persistent diplomatic efforts to secure their release.

Their execution sentence was eventually modified to a longer jail sentence as a result of persistent diplomatic efforts and legal support from New Delhi.

The seven former Navy officers, relieved to be free at last, sang “Bharat Mata ki Jai” when they arrived at the Delhi airport early on Monday.
One of the Navy veterans, according to ANI, praised Prime Minister Modi for discussing their sentence with Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar and credited him for their release for his unwavering diplomatic efforts.

“I’m happy and thrilled to be back home safe and sound at last. I express my gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for his personal assistance in securing our release, without which this would not have been feasible. He said, “I would also want to thank the Emir of the State of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Another freed former navy officer told ANI, “We would not have walked free without the intervention of PM Modi,” with a relieved grin and a composed demeanor. Had it not been for his tireless efforts and high-level interventions to secure our liberation, we would not be in front of you now.

“We and our worried family members back home had been waiting for this day for a long time,” said a second liberated navy veteran, who also praised the Center’s assistance in winning their release. Thanks to PM Modi’s personal involvement, everything turned out as planned. He pursued our case with the highest authorities in Qatar, ultimately resulting in our liberation. I cannot find the words to convey my appreciation to him and the Emir of Qatar.

“We are delighted to be back, and this would not have been possible if the Prime Minister had not shown personal concern for the issue. Another former Navy commander told ANI, “I also applaud the Qatari Emir for his personal engagement in the case.
“It took us over eighteen months to return to our families in India. We owe PM Modi a huge debt of gratitude for saving our lives. Without the combined efforts of PM Modi and the Emir of Qatar, today would not have occurred. After arriving in Delhi, another Navy veteran informed ANI, “The personal equations that the two leaders share also helped in our release.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) announced earlier on Monday that eight Indian Navy personnel who had received death sentences in Qatar had been freed.

In response to frantic requests from the worried relatives of the Navy veterans for their safe return and release, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) promised to use all available diplomatic channels as well as set up legal support to facilitate their return.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in an official statement on Monday that seven of the eight former Navy officers had already returned to India.
The release of the senior officers was welcomed by the Union government, which issued an official statement stating, “The Government of India welcomes the release of eight Indian nationals who were detained in Qatar while working for the Dahra Global company.” Of the eight, seven have gone back to India. We are grateful that the Amir of the State of Qatar made the decision to allow these citizens to be released and return home.

The eight Indian nationals were detained in October 2022 and held in a jail in Qatar on charges that they were spying on a submarine development. A Qatari court condemned the former navy officers to death on allegations that have not yet been formally made public.
The Ministry of External Affairs said in a news release that the Qatari Court had earlier mitigated the death penalty sentences of eight former Indian navy personnel who it had detained in the Dahra Global case last year. The punishment has been lowered to a period of imprisonment.
“We have noted the verdict today of the Court of Appeal of Qatar in the Dahra Global case, in which the sentences have been reduced,” the Ministry of External Affairs had said in describing the decision.
The MEA said that they are closely coordinating with the Qatari legal team and are awaiting the case’s comprehensive ruling.

MEA went on, “We are awaiting the comprehensive ruling. To determine the best course of action, we are in constant communication with the family members and the legal team. The family members were at the Court of Appeal today, along with our ambassador to Qatar and other authorities. Since the start of the situation, we have supported them, and we will keep offering all possible legal and consular support. We’ll keep bringing up the issue with the authorities in Qatar as well.

During their meeting on the fringes of the COP28 conference in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar spoke about their bilateral relationship and the “well-being of the Indian community” residing in Qatar.
The timing of this period was underscored earlier by Jaiswal, the newly appointed spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, who said, “As far as the issue is concerned, there is a time of 60 days when this issue can be appealed in the Court of Cassation, which is the highest court in Qatar.”

The secret court ruling that details the commuting of the death sentences to periods of imprisonment is in the possession of the legal team representing the MEA. This action was made public in a press release subsequent to the court of appeals’ decision on December 28.

“We notified you via a press release that the death penalty—which was formerly the only available option—has been replaced with jail terms. With that court ruling now in hand, our legal team can affirm that each of them got sentences varying in length and that the death penalty has been repealed, according to Jaiswal.
Furthermore, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement that the Court of First Instance of Qatar had also rendered the decision against them.
The MEA spokeswoman also mentioned the recent meeting between Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad, the Emir of Qatar, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that they had a fruitful discussion on the two countries’ general bilateral ties.