Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee, participated in the extraordinary meeting of the the Executive Committee of the Arab Network of National Human Rights Institutions in Amman, Jordan to discuss the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories, to come out with a clear position and a unified plan of action to support and protect the rights of the Palestinian people in accordance with the international legal mechanisms. In his speech at the meeting, Al-Marri said that the decision of the American administration to regard Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation state violates resolutions of the UN Security Council, the UN General Assembly, the International Court of Justice and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Dr. Al-Marri said that this decision constitutes a grave violation of human rights, as it will undoubtedly entail a violation of a package of individual and collective rights of the Palestinian people living under the scourge of the occupation. Dr. Al-Marri appreciated the just and courageous decision taken by the UN General Assembly on Thursday, December 21, in which 128 members voted in favor to nine against, which calls on everyone not to change the character of Jerusalem, its status or its demographic structure, and affirms that any other decision shall be null and void and has no legal effect, which is considered a historic position against the American decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In his speech, the President of the National Human Rights Committee pointed out that the legitimate resistance of the Palestinian people against the brutal Israeli occupation is an inherent human right and that the right to self-determination of peoples is one of the fundamental principles of international law, including the right to have an independent state “Palestine”. Dr. Al-Marri urged all organizations, specialized agencies and United Nations organizations to continue to support the Palestinian people and to assist them in achieving their right to self-determination as soon as possible. The President of the National Human Rights Committee also called on the international community to take serious and speedy action to end the Israeli occupation that began in 1967 based on the relevant UN resolutions. While respecting and maintaining the unity, and integrity of the entire occupied Palestinian territory, including the city of Jerusalem. At the end of his speech, Al-Marri also stressed the necessity of continuing material and moral support and diplomatic mobilization for the Palestinian cause and the historic rights of the brotherly Palestinian people. The Arab Network of National Institutions shall organize an international conference in Algeria on the situation of human rights in the occupied territories, which aims to affirm the legal status of the occupied land, call for the occupying state to apply the provisions of international humanitarian law and international human rights law to the population and the land it occupies, and to investigate the criminal responsibility of the occupying Power and its leaders for violations of international law, as well as the obstacles to achieving the 2030 SDGs under occupation, and the strategies and options that international law provides for the Palestinians, especially after the status of Palestine as a non-member state of the United Nations.

We Call on the Human Rights Council to appoint a special rapporteur on the repercussions of the blockade.

We call on the Human Rights Council, the International Union of Parliamentarians and the European Parliament to pass resolutions to consider imposing blockade as a crime against humanity.

Imposing blockade on peoples is a crime used as a political leverage to achieve despicable purposes.

We call on Goodwill ambassadors to lead an international initiative against imposing blockade on peoples to mobilize international support.

Members of the Italian House of Representatives confirmed their support for the position of their government in support of Kuwaiti mediation and the principle of dialogue to address the Gulf crisis. While the NHRC expected to issue a draft resolution by the Italian Parliament to demand that their government take a firm stand condemning the blockade and demanding its immediate lifting. Dr. Al Marri called on the United Nations General Assembly to issue a global declaration against imposing blockade on peoples and not to involve civilians in any political disputes, in addition to calling on the Human Rights Council, the International Union of Parliamentarians and the European Parliament to adopt resolutions to perpetuate imposing blockade on peoples. This came in a statement to the press by Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, president of Qatar National Human Rights Committee following a hearing held at the Italian Parliament, at the invitation of the House of Representatives, in Wednesday, 13 December, in the presence of The Ambassador of the State of Qatar to the Italian Republic, Ambassador Abdulaziz Bin Ahmed Al Malki, in addition to the presence of other members of the House of Representatives; in which Dr. Al Marri gave copies of the latest reports prepared by the NHRC on the violations reported since the beginning of the crisis; warning of the serious repercussions resulting from the continuation of the blockade while gnoring all international calls and rights, in the absence of any will to resolve the crisis.

Calling on a global declaration against imposing blockade on peoples:

Dr. Al Marri called on the United Nations General Assembly to issue a global declaration against imposing blockade on the peoples and not to involve civilians in political disputes, in parallel with his call on the Human Rights Council, the International Union of Parliamentarians and the European Parliament to make urgent decisions; stressing that the condemnation of the blockade imposed on Qatar is a condemnation of international crimes and collective punishment against the people.

International initiative against imposing blockade on the peoples:

Dr. Al Marri called on launching an international initiative against imposing blockade on the peoples aimed at shedding light on this crime, which has become a pattern of behavior prevailing in times of war and conflict and political practice pursued by some countries to achieve despicable purposes, pointing out that the initiative will rely on goodwill ambassadors to bring International support. He also called on the Human Rights Council to appoint a special rapporteur on the repercussions of the blockade on the enjoyment of human rights; stressing the need to carry out an international uprising against imposing blockade on the peoples.

Successive human rights triumphs of the NHRC:

The hearing held by the President of the NHRC, and direct meeting with members of the legislative authority, the highest authority in the Italian democratic system, is another success added to the series of human rights triumphs achieved by the NHRC since the beginning of the blockade. A hearing in the Italian Parliament reflects the interest of the House of Representatives in discussing the blockade crisis on Qatar and, therefore, the solidarity of the Italian people through its deputies in Parliament, as well as the Italian Government with the State of Qatar. The hearing comes after a series of meetings held by Dr. Ali bin Smaikh with deputies of the Italian parliament, in Rome. He also met with representatives of Italian human rights organizations and media organizations.
The President of the National Human Rights Committee met last November in Doha with a delegation of the Italian Senate and the Italian Parliament headed by MP Col. Marco Farco, where he gave a comprehensive explanation of the grave humanitarian impact caused by the blockade and the growing humanitarian crisis caused by its prolongation.

Dr. Ali Ben Samikh Al Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee met in Rome with Ambassador Elisabetta Belloni, Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in the presence of HE Mr. Abdul Aziz bin Ahmed Al Malki, Ambassador of the State of Qatar to Italy. The two sides discussed the impacts of the blockade on the Qatari people and means of joint cooperation.

Al-Attiyah: We condemn any decisions or measures that would consider occupied Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation.

Dr. Al-Sulaiti: Katara works to promote human rights awareness and develop a spirit of cooperation and tolerance.

Abu Zuluf: Open invitation to join the international campaign for human rights.

Philharmonic Qatar: The audience enjoyed a concert of peace.

Katara visitors enjoyed watching 20 Qatari and expatriate artists creating artworks with Human Rights theme.

The National Human Rights Committee of Qatar called for the convening of an extraordinary meeting of the Human Rights Council on the Palestinian issue, as well as the inclusion of Jerusalem in the agenda of the next session of the Council, while condemning any decisions or measures that would regard the occupied city of Jerusalem as the capital of the Israeli occupation and considered it a flagrant violation of international conventions and resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, the United Nations Security Council, the International Court of Justice and UNESCO. It is also considered as a flagrant challenge to the international consensus on the status of Jerusalem and a direct threat to international peace and security. The event was attended by Dr. Khalid Bin Ibrahim Al Sulaiti, Director General of the Cultural Foundation “Katara”, Ms. Maryam Bint Abdullah Al-Attiyah, Secretary-General of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, and Mr. George Abu Al-Zulf, Director of the United Nations Center for Training and Documentation for the Arab and South-West Region of Africa, as well as a number of ambassadors, heads of diplomatic missions and a diverse audience of human rights activists and advocates.
Al-Attiyah said: The National Human Rights Commission joins the voice of the Independent Commission for Human Rights in Palestine and calls on all national institutions and international organizations to stand by the Palestinian people and end the occupation. Al Attiyah added “it is now 70 years since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has been adopted, during which its principles proved to be able to maintain the stability and security of the world. In recent decades, however, we have witnessed a significant decline in the level of commitment to these principles and human values, especially in the Arab region, where most of the region has become a scene of disputes, wars and political conflicts that have overshadowed human rights and freedoms”. As for the Gulf crisis, Al-Attiyah said: ” We celebrate the International Human Rights day this year while we are going through a critical and sensitive phase. The National Human Rights Committee follows with deep concern the repercussions of the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar and its impact on the human rights of citizens and residents for a period of more than six months, through which a lot of Gulf families dispersed, social ties are cut off, students has been negatively affected and rights of thousands of people were violated including the rights to health, movement, property and religious rites; not to mention calls to violence and hate speech against the State of Qatar and its citizens. Allow me to use this forum to maintain our position, call for lifting the blockade on Qatar and stop violations of human rights guaranteed by the international law and human rights charters”. Al-Attiyah thanked to the Cultural Village Foundation- Katara, represented by Dr. Khaled Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, for organizing the celebration and contributing to the enrichment of the cultural process in the state, and the UN center for Training and Documentation, represented by Dr. Khaled Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti, and all the parties that participated and contributed to this remarkable organization for celebrating this year’s International Human Rights Day.
Dr. Khalid bin Ibrahim Al-Sulaiti said that the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is an opportunity to raise global awareness about human rights, as it is appropriate to renew the commitment to guarantee fundamental freedoms and protect human rights for all. Al-Sulaiti added that Katara always promotes human rights awareness, promotes the spirit of cooperation and tolerance, promotes the culture of law, peace and freedom among peoples, respects the cultural identity of each society, enriches diverse cultures, gives them human dimensions and unleashes their creative horizons, pointing out that Katara, through its diverse and continuous activities, opens up opportunities for fruitful dialogue and cultural interaction every day and provides a rich space for human communication among peoples in an atmosphere of freedom that is indispensable in cultural, artistic and creative activity.
Mr. George Abu Al-Zulf, Director of the United Nations Center for Training and Documentation in the field of Human Rights in the Arab Region and South West Africa, praised the importance of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, noting the challenges that threaten these rights. Abu Al-Zulf called for the establishment of a lobbying movement of all activists and human rights defenders from all over the world and under the auspices of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, whose mission is to remind the world’s Governments of their commitment to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
On the sidelines of the ceremony, the Katara Art Exhibition was opened with the participation of 20 artists, including 12 Qatari artists and 8 artists from Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Senegal and India. Their paintings call for the importance of protecting and promoting human rights within society. The audience also watched a short film prepared by the Qatar Foundation for Social Work on the services of the Shafallah Center in the field of integrating persons with disabilities in society.

the NHRC participated at the Doha International Book Fair in its 28th edition. The booth of the NHRC was visited by Mr. Salah Bin Ghanem Al Ali, Minister of Culture and Sports, in the presence of Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari, Sheikh Faisal bin Qasim Al Thani, a number of senior officials and a number of heads of diplomatic missions to the State of Qatar; who were received by Director of Administrative and Financial Affairs of the Committee. Mr. Abdullah Ali Al Mahmoud, Director of Public Relations at the Committee, said that the theme of this year’s exhibition is “Conscious Society”, which coincides with one of the most important objectives of the National Human Rights Committee in spreading awareness and education on human rights and freedoms and consolidating its principles in thought and practice. He said: “The Committee seeks to achieve this objective through many events organized or co-organized by NHRC and act as an important opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of human rights. He added: The Doha International Book Fair is one of the important platforms that the Committee is keen to participate in annually.
The book fair comes this year in exceptional circumstances related to the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar by the neighboring countries. Al Mahmoud said: “As for the current circumstances, the committee has allocated a special section at its booth which includes the reports monitoring this crisis. These reports include statistics of human violations resulting from the blockade imposed on citizens and residents of Qatar, and citizens of the GCC countries. Adding that there are many legal researchers available in the NHRC booth to explain the repercussions of the blockade crisis on human rights. Al Mahmoud pointed out that this section was developed with the aim of distributing these reports in a transparent manner after the committee handed them over to all relevant international and regional organizations. “It is the right of all people to be aware of all the details of these violations and to know the mechanisms of communication with the National Human Rights Committee in the face of any possible violations”.
The director of public relations and media added that the NHRC involved more than 60 titles for international books, treaties and tariff brochures. He pointed out that the Committee has managed, through its journey for 15 years, to establish a library of 1700 titles in both Arabic and English, which is an important factor in providing human rights to people at all levels, pointing out that the Library’s activity is not limited to the self-acquisition of books and references related to human rights issues, but also to cooperation with other libraries in order to exchange information in order to enrich their services. In the same context, Al Mahmoud stressed that the library has a flexible borrowing service in terms of research in catalogs, access to electronic sources, photocopying of documents and notification of the staff of the Commission with the available references to keep abreast of developments in the field of human rights.

Neutrality is unacceptable when it comes to human rights violations.

Dr. Ali bin Samih Al Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee, extended thanks and gratitude to the Asia-Pacific Forum, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions for their great support and encouragement to the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar to further explore the impact of the blockade on the rights of citizens and residents of Qatar, and citizens of the GCC countries.This came during his speech the APF 22nd Annual General Meeting in Bangkok, during which Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission was chosen as the President of the Forum.
Dr. Al-Marri discussed in his speech the challenges faced by the National Human Rights Committee and the campaigns that were aimed at disrupting and sabotaging its efforts in uncovering the violations of the blockade since the beginning of the Gulf crisis on 5 June 2017; pointing out that attempts to obstruct the work of the Committee has been continuing through the media institutions and civil society organizations of the countries of the blockade, but the response always comes from the competent international institutions that the NHRC working in accordance with the Paris principles and there is no need to conduct any special accreditation review.
At the same context, Al-Marri called for the importance of cooperation of national institutions in humanitarian issues, to be independent and to avoid neutrality when it comes to violations of human rights; pointing out that It is our duty to uncover, monitor and condemn any behavior that would violate those rights guaranteed by all international conventions and treaties. Dr. Al Marri, during his speech on the violations against the Qatari citizens and residents of Qatar and citizens of the GCC countries talked about the right of families to enjoy protection and reunification and the prohibition of their dispersion, pointing out that many families are affected, especially women, children, persons with disabilities, the elderly, where there are mothers and fathers who are forced to leave their children. He said: This violation is considered the most serious and the most terrible violation at all, because it affects and threatens the entity of the Gulf family, and threatens the most vulnerable groups in society, including women and children with disabilities and the elderly. Al-Marri also addressed the most prominent violations of the rights of students, investors, patients, and pilgrims. He said: All these violations are taking place amid the continuation of the course of hatred and incitement, which threatens the lives of people. Adding that the mechanisms and approach of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar in the process of monitoring these violations provide international organizations with reports containing statistics on the classification of complaints in accordance with its mandate and competencies.
Dr. Ali bin Samih Al-Marri, president of the National Human Rights Committee, met with Mr. Keiran Fitzpatrick, Executive Director of the Asia-Pacific Forum. The meeting dealt with ways of joint cooperation in the process of strengthening the capacities of NHRIs through organizing training courses and regional workshops, especially in the presence of the permanent headquarters of the sub-regional Office of the Asia-Pacific Forum in Doha, which is a close point of contact between national human rights institutions in the region.

Qatar National Human Rights Committee has noted with great concern the escalation of the discourse of hatred and incitement to violence against the State of Qatar and citizens and residents of Qatar by some media outlets, including social media sites in the countries of the blockade.
The National Human Rights Committee has monitored hundreds of incidents of hate speech and incitement to violence, some of which have resulted in incitement to target the State of Qatar with terrorist and subversive operations, incitement to attack the State of Qatar and its media, and incitement to violence in dramas and music videos, to intimidate citizens and residents of the State of Qatar in a precedent that is almost the first of its kind in the Arab region.

(The Statement)

The Committee also monitored a speech of racial discrimination aimed at the disdain of Qatari citizens, which escalated violently due to the involvement of some public figures, and some of the well-known media personalities in the countries of the blockade.
The Committee deeply regrets this misguided conduct and irresponsible behavior contravening the principles and charters of human rights, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and notes that all the present incitement to hatred and violence will undoubtedly generate extreme reactions that may lead to criminal and subversive acts against the State of Qatar and citizens and residents of Qatar, which in turn threatens peace, security and stability in the entire region, particularly the Gulf region.
The National Human Rights Committee holds all those who participate in these violations full legal and moral responsibility for any racist acts or acts of violence that might be committed against the State of Qatar and citizens or residents of Qatar.
The National Human Rights Committee calls upon the competent authorities in Qatar to take the necessary legal measures, including resorting to justice and prosecuting those responsible for the discourse of hatred and incitement to violence, and also calls on the international community, international and regional human rights organizations, and United Nations human rights mechanisms, in particular the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance to act to stop these persistent violations of human rights that threaten peace, security and stability in the Arab region.

11 Rabi Al-Awwal 1439, 29 Nov 2017

Doha, Qatar

Amnesty conducted direct interviews with Hajj and Umrah campaign officials.

(Politicization of religious rites and the continued promotion of hate speech and the tragedies of mixed families).

Doha: 28 November 2017

The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) received today a delegation of Amnesty International, on their second visit since the beginning of the blockade to learn about the latest developments in the humanitarian situation resulting from the blockade on Qatar. The delegation is scheduled to meet with some of those affected in various humanitarian aspects including violations of the right to family reunification, the right to practice religious rites, education, health, movement, residence and work. During this visit, the delegation will meet with a number of Hajj and Umrah campaign officials to investigate the obstacles placed by the Saudi authorities in the face of the pilgrims of the State of Qatar and the difficulties resulting of the politicization of religious rites.
the officials of the National Human Rights Committee during the meeting with the delegation noted that the countries of the blockade continue to violate the rights of citizens and residents of Qatar and citizens of the GCC countries, Pointing out that there is a growing hate speech promoted by senior officials of various authorities in the countries of the blockade. Moreover, there are statements that spread terrorist contents threatening the stability and security of citizens and residents of Qatar, including the latest threat by some officials to bomb Al Jazeera channel.
The committee called for the urgent and practical action at the international level to put an end to these violations, which directly affected the lives of people in the Gulf region. The delegation was also provided with the latest statistics on violations of human rights due to the blockade and its developments, pointing out that these statistics are increasing continuously, which confirms that the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar directly targeted the peoples and violated their rights guaranteed by international human rights conventions.
Finally, The meeting discussed ways of cooperating in the promotion of human rights.

Qatar National Human Rights Committee expresses its deep concern at the persistence of putting obstacles by the Saudi authorities to restrict the right of residents and citizens of Qatar to perform religious rituals.

NHRC noted in the statement that the difficulties reported by The Hajj and Umrah campaigners in Qatar and facing pilgrims of Qatar, as well as the prohibition of remittance transactions by the authorities in Saudi Arabia between the Qatari campaigns and the Saudi Umrah agents who are authorized to grant Umrah permits, emphasize the continuation of politicizing the religious rituals by the Saudi authorities.

(The Statement)

In view of the continued land, sea and air blockade imposed on the state of Qatar and with reference to the arbitrary measures taken by the Saudi authorities restricting the right to freedom of belief and freedom to practice religious rites, including the prevention of the pilgrims of Qatar from entering Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah during the last month of Ramadan, and expelling residents and citizens of Qatar who were already there at that time, and with regard to the obstacles placed by the Saudi authorities restricting the right to perform Hajj “Fifth Pillar of Islam” of citizens and residents of Qatar.

Qatar National Human Rights Committee expresses its deep concern at the persistence in putting obstacles by the Saudi authorities to restrict the right to perform religious rituals by residents and citizens of Qatar, including the difficulties facing pilgrims of Qatar, reported by campaigners of Hajj and Umrah in Qatar, as well as the prohibition of remittance transactions by the Saudi authorities between the Qatari campaigns and the Saudi Umrah agents authorized to grant Umrah permits, which emphasizes the continuation of politicizing the religious rituals by the Saudi authorities, in violation of Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 30 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights, Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 6 of the Gulf Cooperation Council Human Rights Declaration.

Accordingly, the National Human Rights Committee reiterates its call on the competent authorities in Saudi Arabia not to use religious rites as a political leverage in flagrant violation of international human rights conventions, and calls upon the international community, human rights organizations and the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief to promptly move to stop these persistent violations of the right to freedom of belief and freedom to practice religious rites to serve political interests.

The National Human Rights Committee also notes that it will raise the latest developments on this issue to all parliaments and international and regional human rights organizations and that it will resort to the Human Rights Enforcement Mechanisms of the United Nations to ensure the enjoyment of the right to freedom of religious practice as a fundamental human right.

Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, president of Qatar National Human Rights Committee, met with the delegation of the technical mission of the High Commissioner for Human Rights which arrived in the state to gather information on the repercussions of the blockade imposed on citizens and residents of Qatar and citizens of the GCC countries. The meeting was its first meeting in a series of meetings with governmental and non-governmental organizations and civil society organizations, as well as some of the victims affected by the blockade on Qatar.
During the meeting, the mission briefed Dr. Al Marri on the nature of their mission, which will be concluded by a report to be submitted to the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Dr. Al-Marri briefed the delegation of the mission on the most important effects of by the blockade on the citizens of Qatar, residents and citizens of the GCC countries, in addition to the latest violations and developments in the humanitarian situation monitored by the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar.