Filipino sentenced to death, 2 get life terms for espionage in Qatar

MANILA, Philippines — A Filipino has been sentenced to death while two others got life terms in jail after being convicted by a court in Qatar for espionage, Assistant Foreign Secretary Charles Jose said on Monday.

Jose did not disclose the names of the three Filipinos or give their background, pending the final resolution of the case.

The three Filipino men were sentenced last month by a lower court for selling information deemed threatening to Qatar, Jose said.

They were charged with espionage in 2011, he said.

“We are extending legal assistance to them,” he said in a phone interview.

Jose said the Department of Affairs has appealed their conviction to Qatar’s Court of Appeals early this month.