The NHRC issued its general report on the violation of the right to education resulting from the blockade

The report on the violation of the right to education comes in a series of reports prepared by the NHRC, on violations arising from the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar. The blockade caused a lot of damage, where the three blockading countries (Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain) prevented Qatari students and Qatari residents from continuing their education at their educational institutions, as well as preventing their own students from continuing their education in the State of Qatar. Such violation of the right to education may be summarized as follows:

– The National Human Rights Committee has received enormous complaints amounted to 213 cases of students from the State of Qatar studying in The countries of the blockade, where the authorities of Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain forced them to leave their territories. The students found themselves with a prior notice deprived of pursuing their studies after the decision of those countries to sever their relations with Qatar on June 5, 2017. The blockade continues for the fourth month, while these students are still prevented from attending for their final exams, although some of them just had one month to graduate.

– The countries of the blockade forced 706 students studying at Qatar University to return to their countries (Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain) within 14 days from the date of announcing the severing of ties, and prevented them from completing their studies.

– As per the cases reported by the Committee, The countries of the blockade have prevented their universities from cooperating with the expelled Qatari students, and did not respond to any requests of facilitating for students to complete their studies or recover the amounts they paid or even to obtain their academic documents. Such measures caused blatant harm to the future of these students and violated their right to education.

– The violation was not only limited to students , but also to their families who sought the right of their sons and daughters to a quality education, but were shocked by the decisions that caused them materialistic and moral harm.

– Expulsion of students without legal justification and preventing them from residence and completion of the study, this not only violates their right to education but also violates their guaranteed right in freedom of movement and residence, as supported by international laws and conventions that guarantee the right to move freely.

Recommendations to the concerned parties:

To the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the Kingdom of Bahrain:

1. Lift the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar and take the necessary and appropriate measures to resume the study for all students, whether Qataris or citizens of these three blockading countries.

2. Open ports, land, air and sea crossings to allow all Qatari students and students residing in Qatar to return to complete their studies and not to involve them in any political or economic dispute between countries.

3. Allow students from the three countries to return to complete their studies in Qatar.

4. Facilitate all means to guarantee the right of education for all students from the State of Qatar and from the three blockading countries.

5. Ensure that students from both sides return to their countries without causing any harm to them at the educational, psychological or physical levels.

6. Compensate the affected students and guarantee that they will not be harmed again.

To the Special Rapporteur on the right to education:

1. Submit special reports to the Human Rights Council and to the General Assembly on violations committed against the State of Qatar of the right to education, the right to development, the right to security and safety and the right to freedom of movement and residence.

2. contact other states and parties concerned with respect to cases of violations of the right to education. This right is guaranteed in accordance with the international conventions on the prevention of any discrimination in the right to education.

3. Address the blockading states to necessarily comply and respect the right to education, which means that they must avoid measures that impede or prevent the enjoyment of the right to education.

To the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO):

1. Issue an appeal to call on the countries of the blockade to stop violating the right to education by lifting the blockade on the State of Qatar, and expeditiously consider the complaints of students whose right to education was violated, compensate them and lift injustice to which they were subjected.

2. Issue a special report on the complaints of students who have been deprived of their right to education due to the blockade imposed on the State of Qatar, explaining the violations they have suffered and enabling students to join their universities and complete their studies.

To the United Nations, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and UNICEF:
1. Prepare reports and data documenting cases of violations of the right of education for Qataris students, residents of Qatar and students of the three blockading countries, because this violation will in turn lead to damage to their scientific, educational, moral and career future.

To the international accreditation committees of universities:

1. Address the universities in the three blockading countries to refrain from their decisions that prevent Qatari students from continuing their education in their universities, and find suitable solutions for these students to complete their university studies.
2. Urge international Universities in the blockading states not politicize people’s education because of the blockade imposed on the state of Qatar, and to respect the international code of ethics for universities.

To the international community:

1. Victims of violations of the right to education should have access to effective judicial remedies or other remedies at both national and international levels.

2. Human rights committees, or similar institutions at the national level, should address the countries of the blockade’ violations of the right to education in the State of Qatar.

3. Advocate and launch campaigns for the full realization of the right to education, and to hold accountable the responsible countries .

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