Qatar-India / After all, what is that law, on the basis of which India can save 8 former marines?

Qatar-India: Eight former Indian Navy soldiers have been sentenced to death in Qatar. All of them worked in Al Dahra Company of Qatar. On August 30, 2022, he was taken into custody and put in jail. The special thing is that till now the Government of India has not been informed by the Qatari authorities about the reason for the arrest of these people. The Ministry of External Affairs itself is surprised by the death sentence being awarded to eight Indians simultaneously.

In the case of death sentence given to eight former marines in Qatar, in the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, it has been said that India is considering every legal option. It is believed that India can adopt the same stand in this matter, which it had adopted in the Italian Marines case. In that case, India fought under international laws, Maritime Zones Act 1976, Indian Penal Code, and UNCLOS 1982. India can also take help of UNCLOS and other international laws to save its former naval personnel in Qatar.

What is UNCLOS 1982?

UNCLOS means United Nations Maritime Law Treaty. It is an international treaty established in 1982 that provides a regulatory framework for the use of the world's seas and oceans. However, it also has provisions for matters related to the sovereignty of countries, determination of rights and use of maritime zones and naval rights of countries. If India argues its Part XV then the case will either go to the International Tribunal for the Law, which is in Germany. Or the International Court of Justice will hear this case. The third option in this is ad-hoc arbitration i.e. resolving disputes among themselves.

What happened in the Italian Marines case?

In 2012, Italian marines killed two Indian fishermen off the Kerala coast. It was named Enrica Lexie. An attempt was first made to settle this matter domestically under UNCLOS. Later Italy took it before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea. The tribunal had ordered the closure of all the cases pending against the marines in India. After this the matter went before the PCA. The Permanent Court of Arbitration had said in its decision that India did not have the right to initiate any criminal case against the two Italian naval officers, because they were working on behalf of one nation.

These nine former soldiers have been punished

In Qatar, Captain Navtej Singh Gill, Captain Saurabh Vashishtha, Commander Purnendu Tiwari, Captain Birendra Kumar Verma, Commander Sugunakar Pakala, Commander Sanjeev Gupta, Commander Amit Nagpal and Sailor Ragesh have been sentenced. All of them were working in Al Dahra Global Company of Qatar. This company used to provide training to Qatar's army. All of them were looking into the matter of inclusion of Italian U212 stealth submarines in the Emirati Naval Force of Qatar. They were arrested on August 30, when they were returning to India, since then they are all in jail.

What happened in the case when

On August 30, 2022, 8 former marines working at Al Dahra Company were arrested along with two others and put in solitary confinement.

On October 1, India's Ambassador and Deputy Chief of Mission in Doha met the eight marines.

On October 3, when Khamis Al Ajmi, CEO of Al Dahra Global, came to seek his bail, he was also arrested and kept in solitary confinement for two months, after which he was released on bail.

On March 1, 2023, the last of the bail petitions filed for these 8 former marines was also rejected.

On March 25, charge sheets were filed against all eight people. Four days later, on March 29, a case was registered against everyone under Qatar's law.

On 30 May, Al Dahra Global closed its operations in Doha and all the company's former employees, mostly Indians, returned home.

Taken out of solitary confinement in August

Eight former Indian marines arrested by Qatar authorities were released from solitary confinement in August after almost 11 months. After this he was shifted to the jail ward. Two men were kept in each cell. On October 26, while hearing the charges against them, the court sentenced all eight Indians to death.

Foreign Ministry surprised at the punishment

The Indian Foreign Ministry itself is surprised by the death sentence given to 8 former naval officers arrested in Qatar. In the statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs, it has been said that the government is keeping an eye on the matter and all possible assistance will be provided to the arrested sailors. The matter has also been raised at diplomatic and political levels. Officials of India and Qatar are also continuously talking.

‘Emir of Qatar’ can grant amnesty

The Indian government is making efforts to save 8 former Indian marines in Qatar, the families of the personnel are also making efforts. A mercy petition has been filed on behalf of the families before the 'Emir of Qatar', who is known for granting clemency during Ramadan and Eid. The current Emir of Qatar is Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.