– Al Marri: We expect a strong condemnation of the UAE’s violations and its demand for compensation for victims of racial discrimination

– Three decades since the fall of the “Berlin Wall” and three years since the imposition of the “blockade of Qatar”

– The UAE declares 2019 as a year of tolerance as it cause dispersal of the Gulf peoples and punishes civilians!

– The two complaints filed by Qatar reflect the crimes of racial discrimination committed by the UAE against the Qatari people

– Inviting European Parliament deputies and human rights officials to visit Qatar to assess the repercussions of the blockade

– Renewal of the partnership agreement between the National Human Rights Committee and the European Parliament

– The hearing in the European Parliament is the first after the election of its new members

– Qatar World Cup provided a great opportunity to develop human rights in Qatar and the region

– Newman: “National Human Rights Committee” is an example to other national institutions in their approach to dialogue and cooperation with the European Parliament

– MARTINI: ” National Human Rights Committee ” is respected by the Qatari government

Brussels: Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri has revealed that a new report will be released at the beginning of next year to expose the continued violations by the UAE of the International Court of Justice’s order for the second consecutive year since the beginning of the blockade.

Dr. Al Marri said that we expect a strong condemnation of the UAE and a demand for compensation for victims of racial discrimination, pointing out that the complaints filed by Qatar will show the crimes of racial discrimination committed by the UAE against the people of Qatar. This came during a hearing at the European Parliament headquarters in the Belgian capital Brussels which is the first of its kind to be held in the European Parliament after the election of its new members, especially in the Subcommittee on Human Rights amid the presence of prominent media reporters and media accredited to the European Parliament.

At the outset of his speech, Al Marri extended thanks to the Chairperson of the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Human Rights Maria Arena, for her keenness and support for the NHRC work, and for renewing the agreement between the NHRC and the European Parliament. Al Marri also briefed MPs on the human rights situation and the most important developments and challenges in the State of Qatar.

In this context, Dr. Al Marri presented an overview on the main challenges facing human rights in Qatar, particularly with regard to the development witnessed in laws and legislations related to the rights of workers, after the abolition of the sponsorship (Kafala system), in a precedent of its kind in the GCC region, and the progress achieved by the State of Qatar at the level of mechanisms, in particular the establishment of a committee to settle labor disputes and the establishment of the Workers’ Support and Insurance Fund, in addition to the strong partnership with the International Labor Organization, which culminated in the opening of the first office in the Gulf, as well as the strong partnership with the International Trade Union Confederation.

Dr. Al Marri also drew attention to the continuous visits of governmental and non-governmental organizations to Qatar, referring in this context to the visit of a delegation from the International Trade Union Confederation and the visit of a delegation of The Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, at the invitation of the State of Qatar.

During the hearing, Dr. Al Marri addressed the repercussions of the blockade crisis and the continued violations, and the importance of continuing the judicial and legal procedures of the international arbitration bodies, international courts and the United Nations contractual mechanisms, to stop violations of the blockading states, and redress the victims.

Dr. Al Marri added that on the day we celebrate the anniversary of the demolition of the Berlin Wall, another wall was built by four countries in 2017, to impose a blockade on the people of Qatar and the Gulf peoples, where the blockade of Qatar continues for more than 3 years with its serious humanitarian repercussions on the Gulf peoples, and the suffering of children and women as a result of the separation of families.

Dr. Al Marri welcomed the decision of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in Geneva on the admissibility of the two complaints in terms of jurisdiction submitted by the State of Qatar, and added that the complaints will demonstrate to the world the crimes of racial discrimination committed by the UAE against the Qatari people, and we believe that there will be a strong condemnation of the UAE and a demand to compensate victims of racial discrimination.

Dr Al Marri called on the European Parliament to assume its responsibilities and take prompt decisions condemning the violations of the blockade countries against citizens and residents of the State of Qatar, and determine their international responsibilities, and that the European Parliament triumph over the principles for which it was founded. Al Marri also called upon the European Parliament to urge EU governments to put pressure on the blockade countries to stop human rights violations, stressing that the NHRC shall continue its efforts and moves with international mechanisms to stop violations and redress the victims.

In response to deputies’ inquiries about concerns raised about the condition of workers in Qatar, in parallel with its preparations for the World Cup 2022, and the role of the NHRC in the protection of workers employed in the facilities of the World Cup, Dr. al Marri said that the organization of the World Cup in Qatar provided Qatar with a great opportunity to develop the human rights situation not only in Qatar, but in the whole region, and as for the role of the NHRC, we do not only pay attention to the rights of workers in World Cup facilities, but we also attach great importance to the protection of the human rights in general and the commitment of the Government of the State of Qatar to implement its commitments in this regard.

At the end of the session, the Chairperson of the Committee of the Arabian Peninsula in the European Parliament Hannah Neuwmann, praised the work of the NHRC in the State of Qatar which provides an example for other national human rights institutions in their approach and keenness to dialogue, and their continued cooperation and distinguished presence in the European Parliament.

At the end of the hearing, Dr. Al Marri concluded his speech by inviting the European Parliament’s deputies and human rights officials to visit the NHRC in Doha, in order to enhance cooperation and exchange of experiences, and investigate the impact of the blockade imposed on Qatar, and to hear the testimony of the people affected by violations resulting from the blockade for the third consecutive year.

In a press statement on the sidelines of the hearing, Dr. Al Marri said that the European Parliament members are committed to defending all victims of human rights violations wherever they are in the world, including victims of violations caused by the blockade of Qatar. Al Marri concluded his visit with meeting Director General of Gulf and Middle East and North Africa programme at the European Commission’s External Action Authority Gabriel Vinals and Deputy Head of Arabian Peninsula, Iraq and Regional Policies, European External Action Service (EEAS), Marco Morettini.