– UNWGEID extended Official Speech to Saudi Arabia on Continued Arrests of Qatari Nationals
– Saudi Arabia’s intransigence and continued arbitrary arrests refutes its claims to welcome Qataris and residents
– Continued violations confirm that Saudi Arabia is unsafe for Qatari citizens
– Riyadh obstructs and prevents the entry of Qataris to KSA .. a very few were allowed to enter under certain security exceptions, and most of them were arrested later
– Submit a documented file of the names and details of the suffering of Qataris forcibly and arbitrarily detained to the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination and the Working Groups on Enforced Disappearance and Arbitrary Detention
– Al-Marri briefed officials of UNWGEID on the health status of some of the detainees
– Saudi authorities continue to detain Qatari nationals without legal justification
Geneva: Tuesday 17 September 2019
Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee, revealed that representatives of the families of arbitrarily detained Qatari nationals and victims of enforced disappearance in Saudi Arabia will soon testify before the European Parliament, the Human Rights Council and relevant international bodies.
Dr. Al Marri stressed that the NHRC will submit comprehensive and documented files to the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (UNWGEID), on the continuation of Saudi violations that have affected even the few Qatari citizens who were allowed to enter Saudi Arabia with security clearances before being arrested. Al Marri pointed out that the UN working group had sent an official letter to Saudi Arabia because of its continued arbitrary arrests and enforced disappearance of Qatari citizens.
Informing the UN working group of the health status of arbitrarily detained Qataris
This came during a meeting with Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri with the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances on the occasion of his visit to Geneva. During the meeting, Dr. Ali bin Smaikh briefed the latest developments of the blockade crisis and the humanitarian repercussions of Saudi Arabia’s continued violations of the rights of citizens and residents of Qatar resulting from the blockade since 5 June 2017.
Al-Marri appreciated the interaction of the Working Group on Enforced Disappearance and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention with the letters of the National Human Rights Committee, where they addressed letters to Saudi Arabia, demanding that it immediately stop its violations, disclose the whereabouts of detained Qataris in Saudi Arabia, and release them. Al Marri also briefed officials on the health situation of some detainees arbitrarily.
Riyadh reverted to its arbitrary approach
Dr. Al-Marri made an urgent appeal to the Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, calling for concrete and strong steps to end the continuing Saudi violations against Qatari citizens, as Saudi authorities continue to detain Qatari nationals without legal justification. “After the release of Qatari nationals in recent months, we expected the Saudi authorities to stop its serious human rights violations, but we were shocked that KSA reverted to its arbitrary approach and detention of Qatari citizens who were victims of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, without any legal explanations or justification for their detention. Riyadh obstructs and prevents the entry of Qataris to KSA; a very few were allowed to enter under certain security exceptions, and most of them were arrested later, without revealing their whereabouts so far.
Al Marri continued: “We at the National Human Rights Committee continue to defend the victims of Saudi violations, and we are in contact with the families of the Qatari families who have been subjected to arbitrary detention and enforced disappearance, and we will spare no effort to hold them fully responsible for the safety of Those Qatari nationals who are supposed to have entered Saudi territory with security clearances, including citizens with properties in Saudi territory.
Dr. Al Marri added: “These arrests unequivocally prove that the Saudi authorities have continued their repressive practices against Qatari citizens, especially against the mixed families of the citizens of both countries, which increases the suffering of those families. ”
Continued arrests refute false Saudi allegations
The continued violations by the Saudi authorities, including arbitrary arrests and forced detention of Qatari nationals, refute all the false allegations and news spread by Saudi officials and the Saudi media, and their allegations that Qatari citizens are welcomed in the Kingdom. It proves once again the fears of Qatari citizens to enter Saudi Arabia, whether to perform Hajj and Umrah.


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