Strasbourg: Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr. Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri called on the European Parliament to shoulder its responsibility for the human rights violations caused by the siege imposed on the State of Qatar.
Al Marri called for a hearing for representatives of those affected by the crisis and for the international human rights organizations. Al Marri called on the Parliament MPs to send a fact-finding mission and submit a recommendation to the European Union’s countries to urge them to shoulder their responsibility for the continuation of the humanitarian crisis due to the siege countries’ continuation of violations of human rights and international Charters.
Furthermore, he said that the unresponsiveness of the siege countries to the calls of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and human rights organizations, puts the European Parliament before its political and historical responsibilities of the need to act urgently to lift the injustice suffered by the victims.
The NHRC Chairman called on MPs to submit a recommendation to the European Union (EU) countries on the urgent need to stop the tragedy of thousands of citizens and residents of the Gulf countries and to oblige the countries involved in the siege to respond to international appeals and take into account the interests of the victims, regardless of the political dimensions of the crisis.
He pointed out that whatever political justifications are and no matter how acute political differences, there is no justification for ignoring the suffering of the civilian victims whose fundamental rights had been suppressed and their humanitarian suffering had lasted for nearly five months.
“We respect the political positions of the EU countries, but at the same time we find no political, legal or moral explanation or justification for the neutrality towards the current crisis,” especially when human rights are violated a horrible way and in violation of all international Charters and human rights laws with the testimony of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, international human rights organizations and the consensus of the international community, he said.
Al Marri added that he visited the European Parliament last June, during the first days of the siege, and he returned to it again to raise the alarm because human suffering has been severely exacerbated and that statements and condemnations are no longer enough. Al Marri also called on the European Parliament and the EU to put more pressure to force the countries of the siege to respond to the appeals of civilian victims. He added that while the statements suggest that the political crisis may be prolonged, “we will not allow the siege countries to continue to punish the people of the Gulf Cooperation Council”.
Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee praised the honorable positions of the European Union, calling at the same time for strong action by the Parliament and the European Union because prolonging the crisis threatens the international peace and security and the Parliament and the Union must assume their responsibilities.
Al Marri called on the MPs from the European Parliament to send a fact-finding mission to meet with those directly affected by the siege as has been done by MPs from the British Parliament and the US Congress. A delegation from the Italian parliament and a United Nations technical mission are expected to arrive in Doha next month, he said
Al Marri called on the MPs of the European parliament to hold a hearing with some of the victims of the siege and human rights organizations that have visited Doha to listen to their testimonies on the humanitarian crisis. During his current visit to France, the Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee met on Wednesday at headquarters of the European Parliament in Strasbourg with the Head of the Qatari-European Friendship Group Ramona Manescu, the Vice-Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Parliament Anders Primdahl and Chair of the Subcommittee on Human Rights Pier Antonio Panzeri. Dr. Al Marri briefed the officials and MPs of the European Parliament on the grave humanitarian impacts of the siege.
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