Capital punishment in Qatar explained

Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Qatar. The offences that primarily attract the death penalty are espionage^[1] and other threats to national security.^[2] Apostasy, same-sex intercourse, and blasphemy are considered capital offences, but there has been no recorded application of the death penalty over these charges.

Others crimes like murder, violent robbery resulting in death, arson, torture, kidnapping, terrorism, rape, drug trafficking, extortion by threat of accusation of a crime of honor, perjury causing wrongful execution, and treason^[3] carry a possible death sentence. However, the most recent executions that took place in Qatar were both for murder (in March 2003 and May 2020).

Capital punishment in Qatar is done by a firing squad. Executions are rare. The last execution occurred in May 2020 after a 17-year hiatus.^{[3] [4]}

In October 2023, Qatar sentenced eight Indian former naval officers to death for spying for Israel.^[5]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Qatar: Death Penalty, Firas Nassuh Salim Al-Majali – Amnesty International. amnesty.org. 19 December 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20071102145748/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE220012002?open&of=ENG-QAT. 2 November 2007.
2. Web site: Crusading journalist wins case against Al-Jazeera. 6 April 2005. journalism.co.uk. 19 December 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160316182837/https://journalism.co.uk/news/story1331.shtml. 16 March 2016. dmy-all.
3. Web site: The Death Penalty in Qatar . Death Penalty Worldwide . 5 August 2017 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170806140922/http://www.deathpenaltyworldwide.org/country-search-post.cfm?country=Qatar . 6 August 2017 . dmy-all .
4. Web site: Presse . AFP-Agence France . Qatar Executed Nepali Man, Ending 20 Year Hiatus: Amnesty . 2023-11-02 . www.barrons.com . en-US.
5. News: England . Andrew . 2023-10-26 . Qatar sentences 8 Indians to death on charges of spying for Israel . Financial Times . 2023-11-02.