Qatar frees eight Indians months after dropping death penalty

They were accused of spying for Israel, according to sources, although India and Qatar have not confirmed the charges. Their death sentences, handed down in October, were overturned in December.

India said seven of the officers had returned home, with some telling media on arrival in New Delhi that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "personal intervention" that helped free them.

Qatar free food for 8 people after many months of self-imposed exile — Panorama of Doha on December 24, 2023. Photo: AFP

New Delhi has been in talks with Qatar for months after the men were arrested in August 2022, and the case has challenged relations with Doha, a key supplier of natural gas to India, one of the world's top energy importers.

“We appreciate the decision of the Emir of the State of Qatar to allow the release and repatriation of these nationals,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

The men were working on a submarine project with a private company for the Qatari government at the time of their arrest.

The announcement comes days after Qatari and Indian companies signed the largest deal for the supply of liquefied natural gas and after Modi met Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani on the sidelines of the COP28 climate summit in Dubai in December and discussed the “issue” of the Indian diaspora in Qatar.

Some men told ANI news agency after arriving at New Delhi airport that they trusted Mr Modi for the decision. “It would not have been possible without his personal intervention and his balancing act with Qatar.”

More than 800,000 Indian citizens currently live and work in Qatar.

Mai Anh (according to Reuters)

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