CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

Al Marri: Siege countries' plans reveal deliberate intention against Qatar

Published: 21 Oct 2017 - 01:39 am | Last Updated: 08 Nov 2021 - 04:08 am
Ambassador Mr. Mohammed bin Jaham Al-Kuwari, and Dr. Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri, Chairman of the Qatar's National Human Right Committee (NHRC), with other speakers during the seminar in Madrid.

Ambassador Mr. Mohammed bin Jaham Al-Kuwari, and Dr. Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri, Chairman of the Qatar's National Human Right Committee (NHRC), with other speakers during the seminar in Madrid.

QNA

Madrid:  Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri said that, according to remarks made by officials and observers, the plans of the siege countries which included military threats and attempting to overthrow of the regime in Qatar, reflect deliberate intentions to attack Qatar, and a threat to international peace and security by these countries.

At a meeting with representatives of international media at the Press Club in Madrid, Dr. Al Marri said: "Had the siege countries' plans go through, it would have moved us from the state of siege to military intervention, which would exacerbate human tragedies and take us from human rights violations to serious violations of international humanitarian law, without regard to the citizens and residents of the Gulf Cooperation Council states or to the international peace and security."

"In NHRC, we see that there are many options that the State of Qatar can take, such as resorting to the UN General Assembly and getting the International Court of Justice's opinion on the illegality of the siege in addition to resorting to the Security Council, in the background of the threat to international peace and security in the region and the world at large, in parallel with the insistence on prolonging the siege and its serious humanitarian consequences," Dr. Al Marri added

The NHRC Chairman stressed that the four countries have taken arbitrary and unilateral actions and decisions that affect human rights while. He addressed the serious repercussions of the siege, stressing that what Qatar is going through is an unjust siege that goes beyond severing diplomatic relations.

He went on saying: "Any state has the right to sever its diplomatic relations with other countries, but the actions of the siege countries were not merely cutting off diplomatic relations, but collective measures and sanctions against the citizens and residents of the GCC countries and an illegal siege that has serious humanitarian consequences."

"Experts in international human rights organizations, the UN Human Rights Council, politicians and officials in many countries have stressed that what is being imposed on Qatar is an illegal blockade," he said adding that all violations have been documented by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations in addition to the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. "All these entities agreed to call upon the siege countries to reconsider their decisions and expressed their strong condemnation and rejection of the use of civilians and their involvement in political differences," he stressed.

Dr. Al Marri pointed that the siege countries had not responded to international and human rights appeals to stop violations, but had been waging a campaign of defamation against human rights organizations, that reached even the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

He said that the NHRC has received more than 4 thousand complaints since the June, 5 from those affected by the siege, which had impact on more than 13 thousand Gulf citizens residing in Qatar. It also documented thousands of humanitarian cases of Qataris and GCC citizens and residents, whose basic human rights such as the right to family reunification, the right to work, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, education, treatment, mobility, property and the exercise of religious rites have been violated.

The NHRC Chairman drew the attention of Spanish journalists and correspondents of international news agencies to the human rights violations suffered by their fellow Qatari and Gulf journalists, pointing that 103 journalists from the Gulf countries working in the Al-Jazeera network and other Qatari newspapers and media vehicles, have filed complaints with the Committee on threats they received from their countries ordering them to leave Qatar immediately.

Dr. Al Marri touched on the suffering of many Gulf citizens who have been imprisoned over charges of sympathy with Qatar, which prompted many citizens of the siege countries to file complaints against the violations they have suffered.

responding to a question about the real reasons of the decisions that targeted the State of Qatar, Dr. Al Marri said: " The Siege countries submitted 13 demands, some of which violate the sovereignty of the State of Qatar, the Charter of the United Nations and international human rights law, such as the demand to close Al Jazeera, while the United Nations and the High Commissioner for Human Rights have affirmed the illegality of any agreement that contravenes the Charter of the United Nations and human rights conventions."

And the role played by the regional mechanisms to resolve the conflict and stop the violations, Dr. Al Marri said that there is a body for the settlement of disputes in the GCC. "We wonder why this mechanism is not used to resolve the crisis?" He pointed out that the NHRC has contacted all regional human rights mechanisms, including the Arab Parliament, and received no response or from those organizations.

"The siege has had severe effects, directly on the citizens and residents of Qatar, and although the measures taken against the Qatari government have been overcome, thanks to the available alternatives, the humanitarian side remains the most affected by the siege.

Dr. Al Marri also gave a lecture at the seminar hosted by the "Arab House" in the Spanish capital, Madrid on "The role of the National Human Rights Committee in the promotion and protection of human rights" as an independent non-governmental institution which made several recommendations that contributed to the reform of the country's legal and legislative system for the development of human rights, including the rights of migrant workers and other social groups.

Of six national human rights institutions in the Arab States, Qatar's National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) is the only in the GCC to be rated A by the United Nations, a matter which reflects its efforts and its commitment to international standards of national human rights organizations, Dr. Al Marri added.

He referred to the memoranda of understanding (MoUs) signed by the NHRC with United Nations organizations and several international human rights organizations, noting the role it plays in regional and international forums and organizing many international events and conferences such as the International Conference to Protect Journalists in Military Conflicts, The International Conference on the Challenges of Security and Human Rights, the International Conference on Human Rights Approaches to Conflicts in the Arab Region, and the International Conference on Freedom of Expression, ".

Dr. Al Marri also reviewed the outstanding achievements of the NHRC over the last 15 years since its establishment in 2002, which has become a "home of expertise" for many institutions and organizations around the world.

In response to a question about the situation of workers in the State of Qatar prior to Doha hosting the World Cup 2022, Dr. Al Marri said: "It is natural that who hosts large international events, such as the World Cup 2022, is the focus of the world and the lights of international organizations, "noting that the NHRC has monitored the challenges facing the workers and made related recommendations to the Government of Qatar.

Dr. Al Marri underlined that tt should also be noted that, in return, we have noted many positive reforms and developments in this regard, such as the legislative and legal reforms adopted by the Government of Qatar."

Dr. Al Marri also pointed out the strong partnership between the NHRC and the International Confederation of Trade Unions, adding in this regard, that the NHRC had organized several courses to raise and develop the capacities of labor inspectors, as well as signing memoranda of understanding with the Swiss Agency for Development of the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other international bodies.

On status of human rights in Qatar, Dr. Al-Marri said that the state had opened its doors to many international human rights organizations, such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and other international human rights organizations.

Qatar is among the few countries that had invited all United Nations special rapporteurs to visit at any time without the need for prior approval.

The seminar was attended by HE Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Kingdom of Spain Mohammed bin Jaham Al-Kuwari along with Ambassadors of the State of Kuwait, Sudan and Palestine, and Bashar Al Yaghi, Ambassador of the League of Arab States in Madrid. The seminar also attracted many intellectuals and writers, as well as the International Institute for the Studies of the Arab and Islamic world.