The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of the Government of India released a statement on February 12, 2024, saying that eight Indians detained in Qatar in the Dahra Global Case were released. MEA, India had lauded the decision of the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to release eight Indian nationals. In August 2022, eight Indians (former Indian ex-Navy personnel) and their company, Dahra Global CEO Khamis al-Ajmi, were arrested. The Indian nationals got recruited into the company to oversee the induction of Italian small stealth submarines U2I2. After 18 months, eight Indian nationals walked free. We shed light on diplomacy and leadership, which played a crucial role in solving this case, along with a timeline of events.
Indians released, speak in front of the Media
Answering a question on the delay in the arrival of the 8th Indian to India, MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on 29 Feb 2024 mentioned, "…….The 8th Indian national has certain requirements to fulfil. He will return as and when those are completed".
#WATCH | MEA Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal says, "About the Indian national in Qatar, all 8 Indian nationals who were involved in the Dahra Global case, they have been released. 7 of them have returned to India. The 8th Indian national has certain requirements to fulfill. He will… pic.twitter.com/8KNBDcuuRj
— ANI (@ANI) February 29, 2024
Time Line of Events
On August 30, 2022, Qatari officials arrested eight Indian nationals and kept them under detention without specifying any charges until March 25, 2023, when espionage charges were framed against them.
Arrested Indian nationals were tried under Qatari law, and the hearing happened in the Court of First Instance in Qatar. Bail petitions were rejected multiple times by the court, and on October 26, 2023, the court pronounced death sentences to all arrested Indian nationals. India described the verdict on death sentences as "deeply shocking" and vouched to explore all legal options to help release eight Indians in this "high-importance" case.
Indian PM and Qatar Emir Meeting
It is important to note that at this crucial juncture, Indian Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi also met the Qatari Emir, His Highness Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, on the sidelines of the COP28 summit on December 1, 2023, and spoke about bilateral partnership and the "well-being" of the Indian community.
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Indian PM and Qatar Emir
" data-large-file="https://i0.wp.com/fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/India-Qatar.jpg?fit=275%2C183&ssl=1" class="size-full wp-image-1881" src="https://fortaze.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/India-Qatar.jpg" alt="Indian PM and Qatar Emir" width="275" height="183" /> Indian PM (Left) and Qatar Emir (Right)
The Indian government soon moved to the Court of Appeals in Doha to appeal against the death sentence on December 9, 2023. The court commuted the death sentences of all the Indian nationals on December 28, 2023. That was a major moment of relief for all the families and the Indian government.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of the Government of India swiftly shifted its focus to working on the next steps to release them. Led by Mr Jaishankar, Minister of External Affairs, India, the ministry kept close touch with the legal team fighting for eight Indian nationals and their family members and promised to fight till the eight Indians got released.
The fight for justice continued, and on February 12, 2024, the Indian Government released a statement saying that eight Indian nationals are now released.