Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Chairman of Qatar National Human Rights Committee (QNHRC), with Johan Verkammen, Director of the Middle East and North Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium, in Brussels, yesterday.
DOHA: Qatar’s highest priority is to end human rights violations committed by the blockading countries, compensate the affectees and make those responsible for the violations accountable, Dr Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri, Chairman of Qatar National Human Rights Committee (QNHRC) said yesterday.
Al Marri said QNHRC is not calling on human rights officials and international organisations to take sides with any party of the Gulf crisis because Qatar has managed to overcome the siege politically and economically; but rather it is calling for them to stand with the victims of the blockade considering the impact of the siege on the people and the human rights violations.
He said that all the citizens and residents of the Gulf countries have been affected and their rights have been violated because of the measures taken by the siege countries.
This came during the meetings Dr Al Marri held with the Belgian Foreign Ministry and the European Union including Johan Verkammen, Director of the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) Department and Roberto Storce, Chairman of the Working Group on Mena at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Colin Scicluna, Deputy Managing Director, Mena Division, and Helen De Bock, Deputy Director, Human Rights Department in the European Union.
“There is no loser in this crisis except the people in the Gulf region. People have been suffering for 10 months from the violations of their human rights and their hope is to regain their legitimate rights and return to their normal life as before the siege,” he said.
He said that the policy of indifference adopted by the siege countries with regard to the crisis and its impact on the lives of people confirms that human value has no place with their other objectives. “We believe that the highest priority is to end these violations and make those responsible for the violations accountable,” he said.
Al Marri stressed at the same time that states and governments can always provide the necessary alternatives in cases of siege and imposition of isolation and continued: but when it comes to violation of the rights of individuals such as reunification of families and maintaining the unity of the social fabric, the people always seek for support of international organisations and human rights institutions to protect their rights.
The Qatar National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Chairman added continuation of the crisis does not serve the people of the Gulf countries, in particular those who have been directly affected by the siege measures.
“We believe that they are in dire need of ending the crisis, especially those who have social and family ties with Qataris and residents.”
Dr Al Marri called for further action “whenever the leaders of the siege countries prolong the crisis and not end the arbitrary measures they have taken, the world must move fast to redress the victims and stand by them.
This is true to the record of the Belgian Foreign Ministry and the European Union, which is active in advocating, protecting, respecting and promoting human rights in the world.
Al Marri said that the siege imposed on Qatar by the quartet since June 5 last year lacks international legitimacy and is based on demands that violate conventions and charters of international law, human rights and freedom of opinion and expression.
He added that these countries have violated the rights of the citizens of the State of Qatar and the residents in an unacceptable manner of law and morality.
