The Qatari people no longer accept verbal condemnations without undertaking strong action that contribute to stopping their suffering
The victims of the blockade demand practical and deterrent decisions that triumph over human rights before political interests
EU countries have procedures and mechanisms to put pressure on the countries of the blockade
EU institutions are called upon to uphold the human rights principles on which they are based
Human rights issues should be a priority in EU relations with the blockading states
We call on the representative of the European Union for Human Rights to visit the State of Qatar and the blockading countries
Brussels: 23 June 2018
The chairman of the National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar, Dr. Ali bin Samih Al-Marri, called on the European Union to take strong measures and to adopt firm positions to condemn the violations and suffering of thousands of Gulf families due to the blockade imposed on Qatar, which have affected thousands of families in Qatar and the Gulf States for more than a year.
During his meeting in Brussels with the European Union Special Representative for Human Rights, Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis, Dr. Ali presented a copy of the fifth report prepared by the National Human Rights Committee, one year after the blockade of Qatar. Al-Marri demanded the European Union to visit the State of Qatar and the rest of the parties to the crisis in order to address the humanitarian violations resulting from the blockade on Qatar, pointing out that the visit of the representative of the European Union to find out the repercussions of the blockade and its effects on the peoples of the Gulf region will play a key role and is a significant contribution to resolve the humanitarian crisis.
Al Marri stressed that more than a year after the blockade imposed on Qatar, citizens and residents of Qatar no longer accept the political positions of some countries, and verbal condemnation of the violations of the blockade, without taking any practical and deterrent decisions that would triumph for human rights before political interests between countries.
Dr. Ali called on the European Union countries to give priority to human rights in their relations with the countries of the blockade, calling on them to triumph over the noble humanitarian principles on which the European Union was founded, primarily the defense of human rights issues in various regions of the world.
Al-Marri called on European Union representative to inform the EU representatives that the victims of the blockade are citizens and residents of Qatar and the countries of the blockade are waiting for more effective and strong positions to stop the violations, stressing the need to move from the stage of verbal condemnation to decisions and procedures that give priority to rights in the relations of the European Union countries with the countries of the blockade, in order to affirm the credibility enjoyed by the European Union and its institutions among the peoples of the world.
Al-Marri said that the EU countries have the procedures and mechanisms to exert pressure on the countries of the blockade to stop the violations, in line with the principles on which the EU institutions were founded. During his meeting with Chiara Adamu, Head of the Gender Equality, Human Rights and Democratic Governance Unit of the European Union’s Department of International Cooperation and Development, Dr. Ali highlighted the disastrous humanitarian impact on children in particular due to the blockade imposed on Qatar, pointing out that thousands of Qatari, Emirati, Saudi and Bahraini children were deprived of their parents and were prevented from traveling with their parents due to holding the Qatari citizenship, stressing that the children were subjected to a human crime that cannot be tolerated. He stressed that the silence of countries and governments on the continuation of the blockade imposed on Qatar for more than a year, is no longer acceptable. Al-Marri asked the EU countries to show the same rigor as those dealing with labor rights issues in the Gulf region , In dealing with human rights violations resulting from the Gulf crisis. Dr. Ali discussed with Ms. Chiara ways of partnership between both sides. It is expected that the two sides will sign a partnership agreement, in light of its ongoing work with national human rights institutions.
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