– 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.