Doha: 21 August 2019

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, met at his office with a delegation from the US Embassy in Qatar, including Mr. William Grant, Acting Chargé d’affaires, Ms. Marjon Kamrani, Political Officer at the Embassy, and Mr. Ihab Mikhail, Political Affairs Specialist. The meeting discussed ways of cooperation in issues of common concern and activating mechanisms of exchange of experiences and best practices between the two sides related to human rights issues.

The National Human Rights Committee has learned from credible resources that the 70-year-old Qatari citizen Ali Nasser Ali Jarallah and his 17-year-old son Abdulhadi have entered KSA under a family permit on Thursday, August 15, 2019, and that they forcibly disappeared since Sunday, August 18, 2019, at 1 pm, in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, after they were arrested by the Saudi authorities and kept in an undisclosed location.

The National Human Rights Committee condemns the enforced disappearance of the Qatari citizen and his son, which violates their rights to liberty and security in addition to all international and regional instruments, especially Article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and Article 14 of the Arab Charter on Human Rights.

The National Human Rights Committee expresses its concern about the enforced disappearance of the Qatari citizens, especially as the Saudi authorities have recently pursued a policy of enforced disappearance of a number of Qatari citizens due to the political crisis.

The National Human Rights committee holds Saudi Arabia fully responsible for the life, physical integrity and safety of the Qatari citizen Ali Nasser Ali Jarallah and his son Abdulhadi, and calls upon the Saudi authorities to disclose their fate and release them immediately.

The National Human Rights Committee urgently calls on the High Commissioner for Human Rights, The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Human Rights Council to intervene immediately to stop these systematic and gross violations against Qatari citizens.

19 Dhu al-Hijjah 1440
20 August 2019
Doha, Qatar

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The National Human Rights Committee received from reliable sources information indicating that the health situation of the Qatari student Abdel Aziz Said Abdullah, detained arbitrarily in the prisons of Saudi Arabia, has deteriorated due to the adverse conditions of his arbitrary detention and willful  negligence he has been subjected to.

It is worth mentioning that the Qatari student has forcibly disappeared since July 6, 2018, before the Saudi authorities announced his whereabouts last May to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.

According to the source, the Qatari student is placed in solitary confinement since the date of his arrest and is subjected to torture to force him to confess to acts he did not commit.

The NHRC expressed its concern about information indicating that his health has recently deteriorated due to the willful negligence he has been subjected to, without being examined by a doctor or taken to the hospital to be provided with health care and treatment.

The NHRC condemns the arbitrary detention of Abdel Aziz, which violates international laws and conventions, especially article 9 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

The NHRC holds the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia fully responsible for the life of the Qatari student Abdul Aziz Saeed Abdullah and his health and physical integrity, and calls on the Saudi Authorities to release him immediately.

The NHRC calls on the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the UN Human Rights Council to intervene to stop these grave violations, and hold accountable those responsible for these violations, and immediately release the Qatari student Abdel Aziz Said Abdullah.

31 July 2019, 28 Dhu’l -Q 1440
Doha, Qatar

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The National Human Rights Committee of Qatar welcomes the release of the Qatari citizen Mohsen Saleh Saadoun Al-Karbi, who was denied the most basic rights to communicate with his family or his lawyer while he has been forcibly disappeared in Saudi Arabia since 21 April 2018, during which his family failed to locate his place of detention or know the charge against him.

The National Human Rights Committee was in constant contact with United Nations bodies, international organizations and the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, and has been demanding that Saudi Arabia reveal the whereabouts of the Qatari citizen and calling for his release.

The National Human Rights committee calls on the Saudi authorities to compensate the Qatari citizen Muhsin Al-Karbi for the harm suffered during his enforced disappearance.

The National Human Rights Committee also demands that the Saudi authorities release the Qatari student, Abdulaziz Saeed Abdullah, who has been arbitrarily detained in Saudi prisons since July 2018, without being brought to trial, and calls on UN agencies and international organizations to conduct extensive investigations into the gross and systematic violations and discriminatory measures against Qatari nationals by Saudi authorities.

The National Human Rights committee also calls on the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism and the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to take swift and effective actions to release the Qatari student arbitrarily detained by the Saudi authorities.

18 Dhul-Qadah 1440,
21 July 2019
Doha, Qatar

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Al Marri:

The UN General Assembly resolution stressed the need to protect national institutions and their staff and not to reduce their budgets

During the process of accreditation of institutions, the sub-committee on Accreditation attaches the utmost importance to the mechanism for the formation of members and the process of their selection and dismissal

Rabat: 9 July 2019

The Minister of Justice of the Kingdom of Morocco, Hon. Mohamed Aujjar received Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh Marri, on the sidelines of the opening of the training workshop organized by the Arab Network for National Human Rights Institutions, and The National Human Rights Commission in Morocco on the accreditation of national institutions by the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions during the period from 9 to 11 July. The meeting discussed ways of cooperation between the two sides in the fields of promotion and protection of human rights.

In his opening speech at the workshop, Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri stressed the necessity of protecting the national institutions and their staff from any pressures related to reducing their financial budgets and interfering in their affairs and undermining their independence and neutrality, as well as not obstructing their work as per the Resolution of the Secretary General of the United Nations of 2017, which called for greater engagement with United Nations bodies and mechanisms and reaffirmed the need for national institutions, their members and staff not to face any form of retaliation or intimidation, Including political pressure, physical intimidation, harassment or undue budgetary constraints, as a result of activities undertaken in accordance with their respective mandates.

In his capacity as Secretary-General of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh stressed the importance of implementing procedures to ensure that the activities of NHRIs are carried out as planned and applications for accreditation are submitted to the Global Alliance in an effective manner, while addressing the challenges that face NHRIs in accordance with the Paris Principles and the observations of the sub-committee on Accreditation of the Global Alliance.

Al-Marri reviewed his experience on the subject of accreditation of NHRIs, based on his previous work as a member of the sub-committee on Accreditation and as the present Secretary General of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions and Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, stressing the importance of obtaining status A by NHRIs in recognition of their credibility and an opportunity to expand its participation in international and regional forums

Dr. Al Marri said: “What is more important than the accreditation itself is that the process of submitting applications to the sub- committee on Accreditation helps to assess the institution’s compliance with the Paris Principles. This constitutes an opportunity for NHRIs to conduct self-evaluation and then to hold its work accountable in order to improve its performance and to address any shortcomings in its performance. Preparation for accreditation also helps to identify the extent to which the criteria set out in the Paris Principles are implemented, particularly those relating to the composition, selection and dismissal process, stressing that through his experience as a member of the Accreditation Committee over four years, the issue of independence and impartiality in the selection of members was a priority for the Accreditation Committee. Al-Marri called for the workshop to focus on this aspect and benefit from the various experiences and exchange of information in this regard, noting that the implementation of the criteria for membership of national institutions in accordance with the recommendations of the Accreditation Committee is a matter that needs further discussion and lighting for national human rights institutions in the Arab region.

The International Accreditation Committee considers at least twenty criteria within the so-called Paris Principles, the most important of which are the Articles of association, requirements for Membership, Independence and Immunity, composition, Employment and Budget, and the application of the functions of the institutions in the Construction Law, as well as the role of institutions in encouraging governments to accede to international conventions and implement the recommendations of the treaty bodies and the mechanism of universal periodic review, as well as its role in disseminating the culture of human rights, the publication of substantive annual reports, and the issuance of press releases and press statements.

Al-Marri noted the importance of reviewing the accreditation of national institutions every five years as a practical evaluation tool for institutions to ensure that their efforts continue in the right direction. He said: “Through my experience as a member of the accreditation committee, I have noticed that working hard to implement the recommendations of the Accreditation Committee is itself a measure of the efficiency of the institution. The accreditation is a manifestation of the confidence of the Global Alliance.

It is noteworthy that the workshop came within the framework of increasing international, regional and national interest of countries in the establishment of national human rights institutions in accordance with the Paris Principles. The number of NHRIs around the world increased to a total of 124 institutions, of which 79 are accredited as “A”, five of them from the Arab region . This attention is attributed to the broad functions and powers that these institutions have assumed, which make them a central pillar of the national system for the protection and promotion of human rights.In order for these institutions to fulfill their role, they must meet the criteria of independence, impartiality and pluralism and must be empowered with sufficient human and financial resources to allow them to exercise their functions in all spheres

– Exchange of experiences with regard to the affairs of expatriate workers and improvement of their welfare

– Developing a plan to implement the recommendations of international conferences held in the State of Qatar on human rights

– Coordination between the two sides to monitor and respond to the human rights violations in Qatar

– Joint work on legislative harmonization with international human rights standards

Doha: July 7, 2019

The National Human Rights Committee and administrative development, labour and social affairs stressed the need for cooperation to exchange experiences in matters relating to labor and improve their welfare in the State of Qatar to achieve the public interest and to ensure a mechanism for joint cooperation in a manner that promotes coordination between them according to Qatar National Vision 2030, And the National Strategy of the State (2017-2022).

This came in a memorandum of understanding signed by the two sides at the headquarters of the NHRC, by Ms. Maryam Bint Abdullah Al Attiyah and Mr. Mohammed Hassan Al Obaidli, Deputy Undersecretary for Labor Affairs. The Memorandum of Understanding recognizes the importance of cooperation between the two parties, which contributes to the dissemination and promotion of the culture of human rights and the protection of these rights. The memorandum emphasized that the two parties would cooperate in a manner consistent with the general objectives and work strategy and competencies of each of them in the field of public awareness of human rights principles and standards. The scope of cooperation also includes: first: knowledge production to achieve legislative harmonization with international human rights standards in order to achieve openness to regional and international bodies and to cooperate in the field of international and regional conferences, second: joint contribution to national, regional and international human rights events, third: As well as aspects relating to the human rights situation in areas related to the work of the two sides, fourth: strategic cooperation to develop public awareness of human rights principles and standards in the preparation and issuance of manuals, guidebooks, brochures, fifth:  launching joint media campaigns on issues of common concern with a view to disseminating the culture and principles of human rights, and sixth: exchange of experiences through workshops, conferences, seminars and training programs held by both parties to spread the desired benefit in the field of human rights.

The two sides stressed the importance of cooperation in the field of knowledge production and agreed on an agenda to discuss phenomena and problems of common concern that can be monitored in the local context or extrapolated in relevant UN resolutions through analytical descriptive studies, field studies, Work, interactive dialogues and so on. The MOU called for action to achieve legislative harmonization with international human rights standards and to seek the greatest possible compatibility between legislation relevant to the parties and international human rights instruments. Furthermore, the memorandum provided for cooperation to open up to regional and international bodies and using experiences of the two parties to open up to the organizations and bodies concerned with regional and international human rights (governmental and non-governmental) to achieve the common objectives of both parties, as well as monitoring what may be raised about the human rights situation in the State, and coordination between the parties to respond to them.

The memorandum of understanding also includes aspects of cooperation in the field of international and regional conferences and the development of a plan to implement the recommendations of the international conferences held in the State of Qatar on the issues of mutual interest and related human rights and joint conferences organized by the committees and national human rights institutions. In addition to the importance of cooperation on joint cooperation in national, regional and international human rights events including the Arab Human Rights Day (16 March each year), the Qatari Human Rights Day (November 11 of each year), and International Human Rights Day (10 December of each year), as well as the preparation of manuals at relevant United Nations, regional and national human rights events.

Doha: 1 July 2019

Ms. Mariam Bint Abdullah Al-Attiyah, Secretary General of the National Human Rights Committee, met at her office at the Committee’s headquarters with a delegation of the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission of the Republic of South Korea, who is visiting the country these days. The meeting dealt with means of cooperation on issues of common concern. During the meeting, the Secretary-General explained the objectives and mission of the National Human Rights Committee, its legal nature and the working methods and mechanisms of the Committee, and affirmed the Commission’s desire to cooperate with a number of State institutions in the Republic of Korea specialized in the protection and promotion of human rights.

– Gulf crisis reaches peak of escalation, and needs immediate action

– The US administration will shoulder some responsibility if they do not act immediately to prevent the blockading countries from deliberately prolonging the crisis and to protect human rights in the Gulf

– the NHRC is ready to hold a hearing for the victims from the blockading countries in the US Congress

– we Call on The mission of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission to visit the NHRC and investigate the repercussions of the blockade in Qatar

– The peoples of the Gulf cannot tolerate further escalation; prolongation of the blockade exacerbates the human tragedy

– Gulf meetings and summits ignored the suffering of the Gulf peoples

– Stability in the Gulf begins with provision for adequate rehabilitation and compensation for victims and the restoration of the Gulf cohesion

– The Qatari government has passed many legislation and laws to develop and protect human rights

– Adoption of the first law of political asylum in the region

– The ILO and numerous human rights organizations have valued national labor law reforms

– The success of any regional or international alliance depends on resolving the crisis and putting an end to the suffering of the Gulf peoples

– We will not be silent on Advocacy of incitement to hatred by senior officials of the countries of the blockade against Al Jazeera and Qatari media

Washington:

Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri, chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, noted that the United States, like other Western governments, would bear some responsibility if they do not act immediately to prevent the blockading countries from deliberately prolonging the crisis and to protect human rights in the Gulf, as it does in the rest of the world.

During his visit to Washington DC, Dr. Al Marri called on the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission in the US Congress to visit the National Human Rights Committee in Doha to investigate the repercussions of the blockade and know about the reforms done by Qatar in the field of labour rights and protecting the human rights of Qatari citizens and expatriates. He expressed NHRC’s readiness to bring a number of the blockade victims to provide live testimonies on their suffering during a hearing in the US Congress.

During his meeting in Washington with Mr. Tim Lenderking Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Arabian Gulf Affairs in the Near East Bureau at the U.S. Department of State, Dr. Al Marri praised the statements made by Lenderking on the humanitarian repercussions of the blockade crisis and warned of the repercussions of dispersing the Gulf families.

“These violations continue to exist and the countries of the blockade continue to put obstacles to hinder the movement of families between them and the State of Qatar in violation of their basic rights, foremost of which is the right to family reunification, movement, treatment, property and other basic rights,” Al Marri said.

Intensive meetings with US administration officials and congressmen

Al Marri held a series of meetings with a number of members of the US House of Representatives, including Ted Deutch, Chairman for the Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and International Terrorism on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Jim Himes, Member of Congressional Group on Qatar, Representative Gus Bilirakis, Co-Chair of the Congressional Group on Qatar, Representative Hank Johnson, Member of Congressional Group on Qatar, Representative Chris Stewart, Member of Congressional Group on Qatar, Representative Steve Chabot, Member of the Subcommittee on the Middle East, Representative Vicky Hartzler, and Representative Jackie Speier.

“We hear, from time to time, about international and regional efforts to ensure security and stability in the region. It should be noted that the success of any efforts to establish a regional or international alliance depend on resolving the Gulf crisis, ending the violations of the blockade countries and restoring the rights to the Gulf peoples affected by the crisis,” Al Marri said.

Dr. Al Marri also briefed the representatives on the reforms made by the State of Qatar in the area of labour rights, the development of laws and legislation that guarantee the rights of citizens and expatriates in the country, and human rights in general.

“The State of Qatar has undertaken a series of reforms to labour laws, protection of the rights of expatriates and human rights in general,” Al Marri said, noting that the ILO and other human rights organizations have valued the reforms undertaken by the Qatari government, including the adoption of the first law on political asylum in the region.

Dr. Al Marri pointed that the government of Qatar has responded to many of the recommendations that the National Human Rights Committee has always submitted, which has enabled the adoption of many legislations and laws that grant more rights to Qatari citizens and residents, the latest of which was Qatar’s accession to the International Covenants of political, civil, economic and social rights, noting that the NHRC continues to call on the Qatari government to continue the course of reforms.

Responding to questions from these representatives on the international efforts, particularly the Kuwaiti mediation to solve the Gulf crisis, Dr. Al Marri said: “Unfortunately, the previous Gulf meetings and summits failed to find a solution to the suffering of the Gulf peoples, because the countries of the blockade have ignored their human tragedies, and insisted on further harming these peoples and dispersing family ties”.

Al Marri also gave a brief on the vicious campaigns led by the United Arab Emirates since the beginning of the crisis against the NHRC attempting to cast doubt on its credibility, stressing that NHRC shall bear no effort to undertake its legal and judicial procedures to prosecute UAE officials for their violations and attempts to discredit the NHRC.

Dr. Al Marri said about threats to bomb Al Jazeera Network: “We will not accept attacks on journalists, the promotion of hate speech and incitement against journalists and media institutions”> Al Marri called the American administration for more attention to the Gulf peoples and their suffering, stressing that ensuring stability in the Gulf region begins with putting an end to the violations caused by the blockade of Qatar and restoring unity between the Gulf societies.

– After more than two years, the Gulf crisis is still in place, and the suffering of the victims is getting worse

– The audience was shocked by the critical repercussions of the crisis of the blockade of Qatar

– They questioned the harsh sanctions that have been imposed on citizens and residents of the Gulf states due to the political crisis

– Participants in the seminar noted the need to neutralize civilians in any political conflicts

– Intellectuals, diplomats, parliamentarians and journalists can play a crucial role in protecting human rights and educating world public opinion

Washington:

The US administration, elites, organizations and parliamentarians, as well as American politicians can play more effective role in pressuring the blockading countries and urging them to stop their violations of human rights, said Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, noting that after more than two years , the Gulf crisis is still in place, and the suffering of the victims is getting worse because of the intransigence of the blockading countries and their disregard for the calls of governments and international organizations that condemned the violations caused by the blockade.

This came during a seminar held by Qatar-America Institute in Washington, DC, in the presence of a group of think tanks in the United States, including diplomats, intellectuals, researchers of intellectual institutions, writers and journalists, where they talked about developments of the human rights in the State of Qatar and the repercussions of the blockade imposed since June 5, 2017.

At the beginning of the session, Dr. Al Marri gave an overview of the establishment of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) , its functions, the most important challenges it faced in protecting and developing human rights in Qatar, and the new challenges posed by the blockade crisis.

Responding to a question about the committee’s handling of complaints filed by expatriate workers in Qatar, Dr. Al Marri said: “Since the establishment of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), we have been keen to receive all complaints submitted by expatriates from different nationalities and we are working with the concerned authorities in the country to resolve the concerns raised. We have made many recommendations to the Qatari government to amend some laws, and many legislations have been amended in favor of the protection of labor rights and human rights in general, notably abolition of the sponsorship law, noting the importance of the opening of the ILO office in Doha and the appreciation of the reforms undertaken by the Qatari Government for the protection and development of human rights.

On his assessment of the US role since the beginning of the Gulf crisis, Dr. Al Marri said: “We believe that the US administration can play a more effective and influential role in resolving the Gulf crisis and pressure its allies the blockading countries to stop violations of the rights of citizens and residents of the State of Qatar, and the right of Gulf families in general, as a matter of priority given by Washington to the issue of defending human rights in the world.”

Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri went said that “We bet on a greater role for think tanks in the United States. thinkers, diplomats, parliamentarians and journalists are the most important actors who can play a crucial role in protecting human rights and educating world public opinion.”

On the challenges facing the NHRC since the beginning of the Gulf crisis, Dr. Al-Marri said, “since the first day of the blockade, we have been received numerous complaints from citizens and residents of the State of Qatar, and even from citizens of the countries of the blockade and we have been keen to communicate with the various concerned bodies and human rights institutions of the blockading countries, to try to stop the violations that affected thousands of families, but to no avail. “

“Over the past two years, we have worked on different legal and human rights paths to try to compensate the victims, condemn the grave violations of the blockade, and encourage the affected people and the Qatari government to take all possible legal and judicial measures to redress victims”, Dr. Al-Marri said . Al Marri gave the audience copies of the reports of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) on the violations resulting from the blockade together with the report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and the order of the International Court of Justice, which all unanimously condemned the discriminatory measures of the blockading countries against the citizens and residents of the State of Qatar. Al Marri also provided them with a brief on the international cases against the countries of the blockade, with the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the International Court of Justice, World Trade union, the International Civil Aviation Organization and other legal tracks.

Dr. Al Marri presented a detailed report on the order of the International Court of Justice on the violations of the UAE, pointing out that it extended to property owners and investors who incurred losses since the beginning of the crisis and have not been able to recover their property or compensation for damage to their property, in parallel to the difficult access of those affected to the UAE courts to exercise their right to litigation, as stipulated in the International Court of Justice ruling pointing out that the UAE has become an unsafe environment for Qatari investors.

The participants were shocked of the serious dimensions of the crisis of the blockade of Qatar and questioned the harsh sanctions have been imposed on citizens and residents of the Gulf states due to the political crisis. They stressed the need to neutralize civilians in any political conflicts.

Al Saadi: Special Rapporteur on freedom of education promised to compensate affected students

Geneva, 26 June 2019

The National Human Rights Committee affirmed that the UAE continues to violate the order of the International Court of Justice issued on July 23, 2018, including the provisional measures to give Qatari students the opportunity to complete their education in the United Arab Emirates or to obtain their educational records if they wish to continue their studies elsewhere. Dr. Mohamed Al Saadi, Director of the Department of International Cooperation of the National Human Rights Committee in the intervention of the NHRC in the 41st session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva said that to date the UAE has not responded to the order of the International Court of Justice in flagrant violations of Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 13 of International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Al Saadi added that the affected Qatari students had raised their complaints to the Special Rapporteur on freedom of education who promised them to continue working on their cases to get compensation for violating their right to education.
In his speech, Al-Saadi noted that the National Human Rights Committee had monitored 513 violations during the period from 2017 to 2018 by the blockading countries because of its unilateral measures against the State of Qatar. He said: 66 Qatari students were affected in Saudi Arabia, 148 in the UAE and 28 in Bahrain, pointing out that these countries expelled these affected and deprived them of completing their studies. “These violations are also confirmed in the December 2007 report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) Technical Mission, entitled The Impact of the Current Gulf Crisis on Human Rights, and they are also documented by international organizations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch And AFDI.