Al-Jubeir’s statements are morally and legally implicated

We are not worried about cutting off diplomatic relations for years, as much as it is important to stop the suffering of our Gulf people

It is shameful for a state official to disregard the suffering of our Gulf people

This is not the first time that the officials of the blockading countries have challenged the calls of the international community

We received complaints from two Qataris who were denied access to Egyptian territory

Qatari officials at the Arab League have been denied visas contrary to the headquarters agreement

Egyptians filed complaints of harassment and insults at Cairo airport because they reside in Qatar

735 thousand attempts to hack the website of the National Human Rights Committee

We appreciate Qatar’s initiative to host a conference to combat piracy and espionage

The establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on the crimes of electronic piracy and its impact on human rights

The crimes of piracy and espionage should be placed on the permanent agenda of the Human Rights Council

Calls to the High Commission to establish a specialized unit against the crime of piracy

New York: 29/09/2018

Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar, strongly criticized the statements made by Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir on his country’s readiness to prolong the blockade imposed on Qatar for another 15 years, similar to the blockade of Cuba, and the international community must hold those responsible accountable for their violations of human rights, especially since this is not the first time they have spoken out against human rights. They challenge the appeals of the international community, the reports of human rights organizations and the decisions of international judicial bodies, most recently the International Court of Justice against the decision of the UAE.

“We do not care about cutting off diplomatic relations for years, as long as we are concerned about stopping the suffering of our Gulf people, Saudi Arabia has the sovereign right to sever diplomatic relations, but it has no right to continue its human rights violations and deepen the suffering of peoples, completely ignoring international human rights law, and therefore we call upon the international community, human rights organizations and international parliaments to exert greater pressure to deter the governments of the blockading countries so as not to continue their violations. Again, Al-Jubeir’s statements are morally and legally implicated, and it is shameful for a state official to disregard the suffering of our Gulf people” Al-Marri said.

The seminar, entitled “blockade of Qatar: Challenges and Opportunities in the Field of Human Rights”, was organized by the National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar in New York, with the participation of Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh Al Marri, Dr. Luanis Canstadendes, Assistant professor of international law at the Faculty of Law, Qatar University, and Mr. Akshaya Kumar, deputy director of Human Rights Watch. While the session was moderated by Prof. Peter Kohares, senior American jurist, in the presence of a number of representatives of international diplomatic missions at the United Nations, as well as human rights advocates and representatives of international human rights organizations.

Dr. Al-Marri gave an overview of the latest repercussions and effects of the blockade imposed on Qatar for about a year and a half; the most prominent violations documented by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and international human rights organizations; in view of the insistence of the blockade countries to ignore the calls of the international community to stop their violations, despite the calls on the quartet (Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt) by international organizations, most recently the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ‘s decision against the UAE’ s violations.

Urgent action against Egyptian obstacles and the denial of visas for citizens and official delegations of Qatar

Commenting on the violations of the blockade, Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al-Marri strongly condemned Egypt’s harassment of Qatari citizens and officials of Qatari official delegations, pointing out that the NHRC has received complaints to citizens who were denied entry visas to Egypt; stressing that the NHRC will move urgently with the international mechanisms to stop these violations and obstacles. Al Marri stated that “The harassment of the official Qatari delegation in the League of Arab States is contrary to the regional conventions and human rights and freedom of movement, in addition to being contrary to the headquarters agreement between Egypt and the League of Arab States which calls for facilitating the procedures and freedom of movement for all delegations of Arab countries without exception”. Al-Marri noted that “the harassment by the Egyptian authorities have not only affected the Qataris; we have recently received complaints from Egyptian residents in Qatar about the harassment and abuse they receive at Cairo airport”.

735 thousand attempts to penetrate the site of the National Human Rights Committee

On the other hand, Dr. Ali Bin Smaikh Al Marri praised the initiative of the State of Qatar and its readiness to host an international conference to fight piracy and espionage, pointing out that the National Human Rights Committee was the victim of 735,000 attempts to hack its website. Al Marri also called for the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on the crimes of electronic piracy and its impact on the enjoyment of human rights and placing these crimes on the permanent agenda of the Human Rights Council. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights also called for the establishment of a specialized unit to combat the crime of piracy against human rights advocates and organizations across the world.

Dr. Lohanis: There is a need for an advanced system to protect Arab human rights

“The blockade imposed on Qatar since 5 June 2016 represents a violation of regional laws,” said Dr. Luanes Canandendenis, assistant professor of international law at the Faculty of Law at Qatar University. “The blockading countries have addressed clear messages that they refuse to negotiate with Qatar, All attempts to resolve the crisis failed because of the position of those four countries, pointing out that in view of the refusal of the countries of the blockade to negotiate and the absence of any prospect of resolution through the regional institutions in the GCC and the Arab countries, the NHRC has resorted to numerous international bodies, in compliance with international law.”

Dr. Luaneis gave a historical presentation on the establishment of Arab regional institutions to reach the conclusion that these institutions, despite the progress achieved, have shown their inability to resolve regional crises and conflicts. The citizens of the GCC countries and the Arab countries in general cannot hope or trust in the fairness of these institutions when they are exposed to human rights violations, as demonstrated by the experience of the GCC Secretariat and the League of Arab States. “In the light of the Gulf diplomatic crisis, I believe that this is an important moment to reconsider the Arab Human Rights Convention and to establish an advanced system to protect the rights of Arab citizens, because the mechanism Such as the Arab Human Rights Commission has the power to monitor the implementation of all laws, but individuals do not have the right to submit complaints” Dr. Luaneis said.

Human Rights Watch: Qatar is called upon to continue its important reforms

Akshaya Kumar is the Deputy United Nations Director at Human Rights Watch, said the abuses by the countries of the blockade against Qatar represent real violations because they are considered as an attack against the freedom and fundamental rights of people, especially families are dispersed and children are separated from their parents or mothers, pointing out that the reports of human rights organizations and those produced by the United Nations indicate that the expulsion of Qatari citizens from the countries of the blockade caused the displacement of labor, working for Qataris in those countries, who remained without shelter.

On the other hand, Akshaya Kumar presented a potentiation of the developments in Qatar in the field of human rights, especially since the beginning of the blockade, referring to the law to abolish the sponsorship system and described this step as an “important reform” which allowed the granting of basic rights to workers in Qatar, Followed by the commitment of the Qatari government to the adoption of a protection wage system, and issuance of the law of permanent residence and the abolition of the exit permit system. The representative of Freedom House called on the State of Qatar to take advantage of the opportunities and continue its reforms, and to enable the workers, residents and children of Qatari women to realize their basic rights.