Carmichael: We will hand over the report to the officials in charge of the current crisis in the British Foreign Office

Dr. Al-Marri: We demand urgent action from the UN Human Rights Council and Special Rapporteurs

The top priority in this crisis is to stop the growing humanitarian violations and to end the suffering of civilians

Parliamentary Delegation: We thank the State of Qatar for its interest in protecting and promoting the rights of workers

Doha : 14 February 2018

A British delegation headed by Mr. Alistair Carmichael visited Qatar to deliver the British Foreign Secretary and State Secretary for Middle East and North Africa, who is in charge of the blockade crisis on Qatar and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the British Parliament, Of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on the human rights implications of the embargo.
This came during the meeting of Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee, with the British parliamentary delegation at the Committee’s headquarters.
At the same time, the parliamentary delegation affirmed that the State of Qatar is on the right track to protect and promote the rights of workers and extended thanks to the State of Qatar for its interest in the legislative development in the Labor Law and the Wage Protection Law.
Dr. Ali Al-Marri said that the NHRC will address the Human Rights Council and the special rapporteurs concerned with the various human rights issues on the report of the UN mission and calls upon them to take urgent steps to redress the victims of the blockade on Qatar, especially after the issuance of the UN report, which is an important legal reference. Dr. Al-Marri addressed the developments of the current crisis and said: We have stressed in all international forums our top priority is reparation and compensation of victims, and ending the humanitarian violations and the suffering of civilians; stressing that the foundations of the report of the UN technical mission was identical in many respects with the reports that have been published by the National Human Rights Committee.
Dr. Ali bin Smaikh thanked the British parliamentarians for responding to those affected by the blockade and their rapid engagement with their governments. Al-Marri explained to the parliamentary delegation about the national human rights institutions, their mechanisms of work and competencies, as well as Principles relating to the Status of National Institutions (The Paris Principles), which sets standards for their accreditation according to their mandate and responsibilities.

For the sixth year in a row, the National Human Rights Committee participated in the national Sports Day celebrations with an enriched program, in the presence of the NHRC President, Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh Al Marri, in the presence of officials and staff members of the NHRC along with their families. The celebration reflects the Committee’s keenness to dedicate the culture of sport as a tool for deepening the culture of human rights and communication among all members of society, and to emphasize Qatar’s interest in sport as an inherent human right.

In a statement, Ms. Maryam Al-Attiyah said that the celebration of the National Human Rights Committee reflects its keenness to preserve the importance of exercising as an inherent human right in accordance with the international human rights instruments. Ministers, official bodies, economic institutions and various activities compete to present a distinguished program that reflects their keenness on the sports day and add a value every year.

On the human rights level, Ms. Maryam Al-Attiyah noted that Qatar’s annual celebration of the sports day has become a sport event, reminding us of the value of human sport and its physical benefits, which reflect positively and directly on human behavior in all areas of life; pointing out that the celebration of this occasion every year emphasizes the interest of the wise leadership in sport in all its forms, and is also a clear evidence of the thought of civilization and advanced vision, pointing out that interest in sports makes the State of Qatar one of the developed countries that are concerned with the health of the individual and the development of sports culture among the younger generations; adding that Qatar National Vision 2030 is responsible for translating this wise and creative vision into a reality that achieves economic, social, humanitarian and environmental development, providing high standards of living that enable citizens to benefit from their potentials, in order to realize their dreams and aspirations within the vision of rational leadership; noting that Qatar’s interest in sports is in line with the United Nations’ interest in the importance of sport for development and peace.

Dr. Al-Marri: The neutrality towards the blockade is no longer acceptable. The UN report dropped all the justifications

Report of the OHCHR removed masks of the countries of the blockade

We demand more moves of French diplomats and put the issue of the blockade on the table of the European Union

The countries of the blockade not only ignored the report of the United Nations, but went through a campaign of skepticism and restrictions

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri, president of the NHRC in Qatar, called on the EU countries and some countries to refrain from turning a blind eye to the Gulf crisis and to put an immediate end to the blockade imposed on Qatar eight months ago. Al Marri stated “when it comes to human rights, maintaining neutrality may lead to increased complicity and encourage those involved to continue violations of human rights, which are criminalized by international laws and conventions”. Al Marri stressed that “the official report of the United Nations OHCHR condemns the blockade explicitly, and recognizes the occurrence of discriminatory and arbitrary violations against the people of Qatar, dropped all the arguments and justifications of some States and organizations to justify their neutrality.” On the second day of his European tour to France and Germany, the President of the NHRC met on Monday with officials of the Foreign Ministry, including Mr. Jean-Baptiste Pfeiffer, Vice-President for Middle East and North Africa and Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, Ms. Lucille Duisburg, and the chargé d’affaires for the file of the State of Qatar at the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also met with Mr. Florence Cromo Vissiar, Counselor at the French National Assembly “Parliament” and Director of Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs.

Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh discussed with the French officials the repercussions of the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar since June 5, and the efforts exerted by the NHRC for defending the rights of those affected by the blockade and the legal procedures that have been proceeded. He also reviewed the foundations included in the report of the OHCHR’s mission on the effects of the blockade. He stressed that “more than 8 months have passed, and despite all the international and legal reports condemning the unjust blockade, the four countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) have shown no willingness to reverse their arbitrary measures. The report of the OHCHR is the first official report issued by the most important international organizations, has condemned explicitly and directly violations of the blockade, and called for their immediate cessation. The countries of the blockade not only ignored the report of the United Nations, but went through a campaign of skepticism and restrictions, Qatar has been open and responsive to all human rights organizations and has opened its doors to monitor the repercussions of the blockade and to interviewed the victims. In response to a question about the role of France and the European Union, Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh said that “France has been a major and important station in the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and should maintain this privileged position in protecting the rights and remedies of victims. We demand more moves of French diplomats and to put the issue of the blockade on the table of the European Union”. Al Marri appreciated the French officials’ understanding of the concerns of the NHRC, in parallel with his assertion that “the NHRC appreciates the position of civil society organizations and French human rights organizations that have stood and sympathized with the tragedy of the victims of the blockade; France and the EU will play a decisive and crucial role in ending The tragedies caused by the countries of the blockade, and their gross violations of human rights, which affected the citizens and residents of Qatar and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.” Al Marri added: “In the past, we have been hearing from officials in some countries and human rights organizations that they can not take firm measures and positions that are openly and strongly condemning the blockade explicitly, on the pretext of the absence of a formal UN report, the opportunity of Kuwaiti mediation and international efforts to resolve the crisis. The report dropped all the masks on the countries of the blockade, just as all the allegations and justifications that cast doubt on serious human rights violations or as a pretext for not condemning the embargo states have been dropped.” Al Marri warned that “the continuation of some countries and human rights organizations in their silence, or neutral position, encourages the countries of the blockade to continue violations, and this in itself is a crime against human rights that the countries of Europe and the free world has been denied.
Al Marri added: “European and Western capitals should take the issue of human rights over economic interests and consider them a priority in the agenda of their foreign relations with the countries of the blockade, because the impact on human rights affects security and the continuation of the crisis poses a serious threat to international peace and security. We at the National Human Rights Committee call upon France, other governments and human rights organizations to make a strong voice in defending the rights of citizens and residents of Qatar and the GCC countries,” said Dr. Ali Al-Marri at the conclusion of his meeting with officials of the French Foreign Ministry and the French Parliament.

Calls on the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to urge the countries of the blockade to put an end to the worsening violations and respect the rights of individuals to movement, freedom of opinion and family reunification

The British House of Representatives notes with concern the continued blockade imposed on Qatar

The Council is concerned about the impact of the blockade on the human rights of citizens and residents of Qatar

British MPs are concerned about the lack of progress towards a breakthrough in the crisis between Qatar and the Quartet

A total number of 15 MPs signed a petition demanding Prime Minister Teresa May’s government to press for an immediate lifting of the blockade imposed on Qatar and urged the countries of the blockade to respond to Kuwaiti mediation to resolve the crisis. In a related context, the British parliamentary mission, which visited Doha from 27 to 29 September 2017, called on the British government to put pressure on the countries of the blockade to lift the blockade, demanding that the countries of the blockade to respond to dialogue with Qatar to resolve the crisis through the mediation of Kuwait, calling at the same time British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson to call on his counterparts from the foreign ministers of the countries of the blockade to put an end to the worsening human rights violations caused by the continuation of the crisis for nearly eight months.

* Recommendations of the parliamentary mission

The British parliamentary delegation that visited Doha issued a report containing its conclusions following its visit to Doha from 27-29 September 2017 to review the impacts of the blockade imposed on Qatar since 5 June. The mission, which included members of the British House of Lords and Commons, led by British Labor Party member Graham Morse, and interviewed a number of victims. The delegation also visited several ministries, including the Ministry of Endowments (Awqaf) and Islamic Affairs, to know about the Saudi authorities’ prohibition of Qataris and residents from performing Hajj and Umrah. Upon the mission’s return to London, it issued a report, published in January 2018, on its observations and conclusions on the repercussions and impacts of the blockade, according to the documented information obtained from institutions, individuals and ministries, as well as meetings with officials of the NHRC. The report of the British parliamentary delegation included several recommendations, including the British government’s call to urge the countries of the blockade to lift the blockade and consider responding to the dialogue with Qatar through Kuwaiti mediation. The report also recommended to the British Foreign Minister to urge his counterparts in the countries of the blockade to lift the measures taken against citizens and residents of Qatar and the countries of blockade.

* The delegation met 100 victims of the blockade

The members of the British parliamentary delegation interviewed 100 victims during their visit to Doha, and held meetings with many people, families, business owners, and other groups and listened to their suffering and impacts on the blockade. The British delegation included four deputies and officials of the British Parliament, led by Lord Qorban Hussein, Lord Kilk Kony, Lord Nazir Ahmed, House of Lords and Attorney Graham Morris Member of the House of Commons, along with Shazia Arshad, Mr. Jameel, Alastar Sloane, and Wobal Lo, during their visit to Doha to find out the repercussions of the blockade.

* 15 MPs submitted a petition to the British Prime Minister

In a related context, 15 MPs signed a petition calling for the lifting of the blockade imposed on Qatar immediately and demanded the British government to urge the countries of the blockade to respond to Qatari mediation.

* The NHRC earn the trust of British society

The report of the British Parliamentary Mission, signed by 15 MPs from the House of Commons, marks the culmination of the efforts of the National Human Rights Committee, headed by Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh Al Marri, since the beginning of the crisis; where Al Marri visited the United Kingdom three times, during which he held two hearings with the British parliamentarians. He also met with officials of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and its diplomatic network to defend human rights, Mr. Salil Shetty, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, based in London, and held another meeting with the International Federation of Journalists.

* list of MPs who signed the petition submitted to the Prime Minister:

(The Statement)

The National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar reviewed the statement issued by the countries of the blockade through some news agencies on the report of the technical mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to the State of Qatar during the period from 17 to 24 November 2017.
The NHRC deplores the misrepresentation of the facts and the allegations made against the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the challenge of its credibility as well as the unfounded accusations against the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar. The countries of the blockade, without any doubt, reveal a more intransigent position, expressing a categorical refusal to recognize the violations committed against citizens and residents of the State of Qatar and the citizens of the Gulf States as a result of the blockade and the unilateral measures taken against them.
These countries were supposed to act to address violations and to immediately end the victims’ impunity, instead of their futile efforts to make accusation against the United Nations and human rights organizations that are not in line with their attitudes and orientations, and the vicious attacks by their officials and media outlets against these organizations.
To raise the public and Gulf awareness, The NHRC, since the beginning of the crisis, has promptly submitted requests to several human rights organizations and Arab and international media to dispatch missions and representatives to the State of Qatar to investigate the tragedies and suffering caused by the blockade, which targeted primarily civilians. Accordingly, many of these organizations and media as well as some parliamentary missions and international figures visited the State of Qatar during the previous period, where all the reports of those organizations and missions confirmed the serious violations by the countries of the blockade. Furthermore, The NHRC has submitted a formal request to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to dispatch a technical mission to the State of Qatar, as the highest official body concerned with the protection and promotion of human rights in the United Nations, with the following objectives:
* Investigate the violations and meet the victims and the concerned authorities in the state including government authorities and civil society organizations.
* Verification of procedures made by the NHRC in monitoring and reporting violations.
* Providing technical support to the NHRC and concerned bodies in the State in the field of protection and promotion of human rights.
* Addressing the reality of human rights in the State of Qatar.
The report was issued by the Technical Mission and sent to NHRC as the applicant; where the NHRC considers the publication of this report an important step to redress the victims and to communicate their voice to the international public opinion, rather than for propaganda or political purposes.
The statement issued by the countries of the blockade clearly reflects their unwillingness to respond to the demands of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and international human rights organizations, as well as their intention to continue violations, punishment and use of the people in this crisis.
The allegations made by the countries of the blockade against the State of Qatar on the pretext of protecting their national security neither give rise to a right to violate the Charter of the United Nations and the international resolutions issued by the UN General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, nor give rise to a right to deny the obligations contained in the human rights conventions which they ratified and acceded; furthermore, it doesn’t justify the extent of the serious violations suffered by the peoples of the region as a result of the blockade.
The statement of the countries of the blockade on the report of the OHCHR technical mission again reflects the extend of pressures and the serious harassment exercised by these countries on advocates and human rights organizations including challenging the impartiality, integrity and credibility of the OHCHR. This is not strange to those countries that have consistently punished the peoples and use them as a tool to implement their policies, and their practices of communicating lies from the first moment of the blockade to cover up violations and find justifications for them.
The questioning of the OHCHR report and the reports issued by the UN human rights mechanisms, is not a precedent in the practices of the countries of the blockade that have criminalized showing sympathy with the people of Qatar.
Since the beginning of the crisis, these countries have questioned all the international reports of major human rights organizations; and through their diplomacy, they used their various media outlets to launch fierce campaigns against these organizations and accuse them of being biased towards the State of Qatar.
The NHRC stresses that the repeated and desperate attempts of the countries of the blockade to undermine its credibility and question its work in order to obstruct its efforts to expose violations will only increase its determination to perform its duty in accordance with the Paris Principles.
The NHRC reiterates its call on the countries of the blockade to allow the missions of international organizations and special rapporteurs to enter their territories to assess the reality of the situation and have a broader understanding of the impacts of the blockade crisis, especially the measures taken and their impact on their citizens and residents, rather than reliance on the policy of plausible deniability and unjustified and immoral justifications.
The NHRC stresses that the desired unity of the Gulf shall not be achieved through the destruction of the social fabric and the persistent reliance on the policy of disregarding the human rights of the Gulf people or ignorance of the seriousness of the crisis and its repercussions.
The NHRC calls upon the OHCHR to continue its efforts and to immediately move according to the foundations of the Mission’s report in accordance with its legal mandate to ensure an immediate end to the blockade and the suffering of the victims.
The NHRC also calls upon the Government of Qatar not to accept any solution to the crisis or any negotiations before lifting the violations and injustice and redress for the victims, as well as expediting the procedures for holding accountable those who are responsible for the violations.
Finally, the NHRC confirms that the countries of the blockade cannot cover their violations by these methods and pretexts, and that whatever they do, the voices of the victims are stronger than their attempts. They should have the courage to admit and address the mistakes and redress the victims.
The NHRC will continue to work in cooperation with its partners including human rights organizations and advocates to defend victims, make their voices heard in international forums, and expose the illegal and immoral practices of the countries of the blockade. The NHRC shall also continue its legal and human rights movements to establish the international responsibility of the countries of the blockade and their officials.

15 Jumada I 1439
31 January 2018
Doha, Qatar

To Download The Statement Click Here

The neutrality of governments towards the blockade is a violation of the rights of victims.

We call on the United Kingdom to stand with victims who are suffering the impacts of the arbitrary measures.

It is not permissible to prolong the suffering of those affected by the failure of the political solution.

The top priority at present is to stop the humanitarian suffering of those affected by the blockade.

Human rights should not be involved in any negotiations or a political path to resolve the crisis.

Britain, recognized for its impartiality and human rights, can take decisive steps to redress victims.

The countries of the blockade are practicing intellectual terrorism and arbitrary arrests of their people, to prevent them from sympathizing with Qatar.

We call on the government of Qatar not to engage in any dialogue before lifting the arbitrary measures and the redress of the victims.

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, stressed the need for immediate action to end the blockade imposed on Qatar, stressing that The neutrality of governments towards the blockade is a violation of the rights of victims, in particular after the issuance of the official UN report condemning the arbitrary and discriminatory actions of countries involved in one of the worst humanitarian tragedies faced by citizens and residents of Qatar and the citizens of the countries of the blockade.
This came during the NHRC 4th European tour concluded in London where Al Marri met with Mr. Alistair Burt, Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa Affairs, and Mr. Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office. The president of the NHRC met with the Ministers of the British Government, in which he handed over an official copy of the report of the OHCHR technical mission issued after their field visit to the State of Qatar last November in which they met more than 40 victims of the blockade, and 20 governmental and non-governmental organizations in the State of Qatar. Al Marri highlighted the State of Qatar’s response to all international human rights organizations and called on them to visit Doha to meet with those directly affected by the blockade, while the countries of the blockade continue to close their doors to the world and prevent the international monitoring bodies and human rights organizations from investigating the serious impacts of the blockade imposed on Qatar. Al Marri praised the efforts of the technical mission, calling on the British government to support the efforts of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, activate the recommendations of the technical mission and work to end the worsening humanitarian crisis; Al Marri also praised the efforts of the delegation of British parliamentarians who visited Doha and issued a comprehensive report on their observations of the effects of the blockade and their foundations, after interviewing a number of those directly affected.
During his meeting at the British Foreign Office, Dr. Al-Marri highlighted the British government’s legal and moral responsibility, while calling on standing with the victims of arbitrary measures and to treat them as being affected by political disputes. During his meeting with the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa and the Secretary of State for Commonwealth Affairs, and the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Al Marri highlighted the suffering of citizens and residents of Qatar and the three Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain).
In response to the questions of the two ministers, Dr. Al Marri stressed that “the countries of the blockade, contrary to the propagation of their media, continue to undermine the stability and unity of the social fabric of the Gulf because of its arbitrary measures that caused the dispersion of families, Especially after Saudi Arabia’s final closure of the only land link between Qatar and the world, as well as the broadcast of hate speech and the incitement documented in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The president of the National Human Rights Committee told British government officials that ” It is not permissible to prolong the suffering of those affected by the failure of the political solution,” stressing that ” The top priority at present is to stop the humanitarian suffering of those affected by the blockade.”
In this context, Al Marri reiterated his “call on the Government of Qatar not to enter into any dialogue before lifting arbitrary measures and redressing those affected”. “What concerns us in the National Human Rights Commission is the persistence of the countries of the blockade in their arbitrary and discriminatory approaches, and the absence of any intention to lift the injustice and redress of the victims,” Al Marri said. “All international calls and condemnations of their reprisals are disregarded.” “We appreciate the positions of many countries that have expressed their hope that the GCC will remain united, but how can this be achieved,” said Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh. “The countries of the blockade are continuing to tear apart the social fabric of the peoples of the region, just to prevent any sympathy with the State of Qatar and its people.”
“The arbitrary approach of the countries of the blockade is not only a threat to the security and stability of the Gulf States, but also represents a real threat to the collective security system and to the unity of international cooperation in light of the threats facing the world and the exacerbation of crises in an area saturated with enough tension”.

(Text of the Statement)

The National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar deeply regrets the default judgement provided by the North Cairo Military Court to life imprisonment of His Eminence , the Qatari national, Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, President of the International Union
of Muslim Scholars.

The National Human Rights Committee notes that this sentence comes in contrary of all international standards of fair and equitable trial, and in violation of all relevant international and regional human rights treaties.

The NHRC calls upon the National Council for Human Rights of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and Lawyers, and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to speed up the intervention and take the necessary measures to protect the rights of Qatari citizens.

Issued in 1 January 2018
1 Jumada Al-Thani 1439
Doha, Qatar

The Greeks have a human heritage that rejects the blockade on the peoples.

We Call for the adoption of the United Nations and the European Parliament of a declaration on a global protection of peoples without being involved in political disputes.

Al-Marri delivered an official copy of the UN report to the Greek parliament speaker.

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, called for launching a parliamentary campaign in solidarity with the victims of the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar. He also stressed the important and influential role of the legislative authorities in mobilizing popular movement, condemned the suffering of those affected by the blockade and the justice of their cause, pointing out that parliamentary appeals are gaining strength and credibility while representing the people. “You have a civilization and a human heritage that cannot accept the blockade of the people of Qatar or any other people in the world,” he called on Greek parliamentarians and officials to act urgently and call on the parliaments in European countries, and human rights institutions of European countries, to form a human rights front to establish strong steps and open positions of this unjust blockade, and report the violations of the blockade referred to in the reports of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar and the reports of international organizations, stressing the importance of working to put diplomatic pressure on the countries of the blockade, to end the blockade imposed on Qatar, and to redress the victims. Dr. Al-Marri said the report of the OHCHR mission acts as an important reference to the adoption of a resolution in the European Parliament condemning the blockade and gives strong impetus to raise the issue of the blockade of the peoples as one of the most recent violations of the modern era that must be fought. ” We should work at the level of parliaments to issue recommendations condemning the blockade imposed on the peoples and other forms of collective punishment” he said, adding that the NHRC will work with its partners to urge countries to adopt a draft resolution in the European Parliament and the General Assembly of the United Nations to adopt a global declaration to protect peoples from the blockade and not to be involved in political disputes.
During the hearing in the Greek Parliament, Dr. Al Marri gave a brief overview of the report of the technical mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, which includes important and strong conclusions, formally endorsing the violations monitored by the National Human Rights Committee since the beginning of the blockade crisis.
Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh stressed that the UN report is the first official UN report condemning the arbitrary measures and violations committed by the countries of the blockade, describing these measures as being unequal and characterized by racism. He added: “The report affirmed that the measures taken by the countries of the blockade do not distinguish between the government and civilians, especially the holders of Qatari nationality, and that this is considered very critical, describing The economic impact of the blockade as amounts to economic war.” Al Marri added that The report affirms unambiguously that the measures taken by the countries of the blockade are arbitrary and unilateral and violate international law, the principles of international relations and human rights conventions. He stressed that “the report affirmed that the violations suffered by the citizens and residents of the State of Qatar and the citizens of the GCC countries are not allegations as claimed by the countries of the blockade, but facts that are proven by conclusive evidence.
Considering the membership of Greece in the European Union, Al Marri called on the Greek Parliament and the Greek Government to urge the European parliaments, and all European human rights institutions to play their role in promoting the protection of peoples from collective punishment and engaging them in political conflicts.
In the same context, the President of the NHRC met with Professor Berkabek, Chairman of the Standing Committee for National Defense and Foreign Affairs, and handed him an official copy of the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. During the meeting, Dr. Al Marri raised the impacts of the blockade on human rights in the Gulf region and the movements of the NHRC since the beginning of the crisis. During the meeting, the two sides discussed the importance of highlighting the role of parliaments through their human rights committees in promoting violations of the blockade imposed on Qatar. The two sides also stressed the importance of building bridges of joint cooperation in issues related to the promotion of human rights.

We demand strong international clear positions against the blockade based on the report of the technical mission of the OHCHR.

The UN report dropped any justification for neutrality towards the violations of the blockade.

Conclusions of the OHCHR’s report are consistent with reports of the National Human Rights Committee of Qatar.

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, affirmed that the report of the technical mission of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights represents an international consensus to lift the injustice suffered by the affected people and end the blockade imposed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt on Qatar. Based on The report on the impacts of the blockade, the blockade is not legal, pointing out that the report proved violations of human rights in the Gulf region.
This came during the meeting held by Dr. Al-Marri with Mr. Georgios Katarogalos, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the Greek Republic. Dr. Al-Marri stressed the need to take a clear and frank stance on the human rights violations caused by the blockade imposed on Qatar, according to the official report of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which officially recognized the violations and arbitrary measures against citizens and residents of Qatar and citizens of the three Gulf countries involved in the blockade.
Al-Marri said during his meetings with Greek officials that the report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights is the first official document issued by the United Nations, affirming beyond any doubt the violations caused by the countries of the blockade against the citizens and residents of Qatar, and the three Gulf countries.
Al Marri stressed that the report of the OHCHR acknowledged the existence of serious violations involving the countries of the blockade, and that they were involved in arbitrary and racist procedures, and that it amounted to economic war against Qatar. Al Marri pointed out that the issuance of an official report on the United Nations finally drops any justification to prevent States and human rights organizations from taking explicit and declared positions against the blockade.
Al-Marri: The UN report proved the falseness of the allegations of the institutions of countries of the blockade that reports of human rights organizations such as Amnesty and Human Rights Watch lack credibility. Al-Marri said that the foundations of the report of the United Nations technical mission is consistent with the reports that have been published by the National Committee for Human Rights since the beginning of the blockade with all transparency and credibility.
The president of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar said: “Doha has opened its doors to human rights organizations and international missions with confidence and transparency to find out the reality of the victims of the blockade at a time when the countries of the blockade have opened their doors to all organizations and fact finding missions”.
Al Marri added that many officials in governments and international organizations were waiting for the UN report to declare explicit positions on the blockade. there is no justification or argument that prevents states, governments and organizations from taking strong and immediate measures to end the blockade and non-compliance with these violations.
Dr. Al-Marri met with a number of human rights officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Justice of Greece and the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, on Athens in his fourth European tour to the European Union since the beginning of the blockade imposed on Qatar, on June 5, 2017. During the first day of his visit to Greece, Dr. Al-Marri held many meetings wit a number of officials including the Secretary General of Human Rights Affairs at the Ministry of Justice, and Diplomats of the Greek Minister of Justice. Al Marri also met with Mr. George Stavropoulos, chairman of the Greek National Commission for Human Rights, as well as with Mr. Ioannis Amanaitides, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs for Cultural, Religious and Human Rights Affairs.
The fourth European tour of Dr. Al Marri comes within the framework of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar to mobilize more international support to lift the injustice of those affected, explain the conclusions of the UN report on the violations of the blockade to all international organizations, parliaments, and regional and international mechanisms, follow-up with special rapporteurs and address cases of violations reported in the OHCHR’s report. The visit comes within the framework of the human rights movements and the efforts of the National Human Rights Committee for more than 7 months to expose the violations of the countries of the blockade and to urge the states and human rights organizations to act vigorously and take declared positions to put an end to the worst humanitarian crisis in the Gulf region.
This round is especially important because it comes a few days after the publication of the first official United Nations report, after the visit of the OHCHR technical mission to Qatar during the period from 18 to 23 December last year at the request of the National Human Rights Committee , To monitor violations of blockade and to interview those affected.

(The Statement)

The National Human Rights Committee reviewed the video disseminated across media platforms, news channels and social networking sites, which show the Qatari citizen Sheikh Abdullah bin Ali Al Thani complaining of being arbitrarily detained by authorities in the United Arab Emirates and expressing his fears of being harmed.

The National Human Rights Committee received a complaint from his family, confirming the continued detention and restriction of movement by the Emirati authorities.

The National Human Rights Committee in the State of Qatar affirms the illegality of this measure and its violation of all international and regional human rights conventions, instruments and understandings, and it holds the Emirati authorities responsible for the safety and security of this Qatari citizen and demands his immediate release.

The National Human Rights Committee also calls on the international community, international and regional governmental and non-governmental organizations, international mechanisms for the protection of human rights, in particular the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, to intervene quickly to ensure the safety and release of the arbitrarily detained Qatari national, and to hold the Emirati authorities responsible for this violation.

The National Human Rights Committee took immediate action and informed the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and several international organizations about this violation and requested that they immediately intervene with the Emirati authorities to release him and offer all necessary protection.

28 Rabi-ul-Akhir 1439, 15 January 201
Doha, Qatar