UN Special Rapporteur urges blockading nations to immediately withdraw all sanctions against Qatar
The UN Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, Alena Douhan, has called upon the siege nations to lift all unfair measures against Qatar, in place since the illegal blockade was imposed on the country over three years ago.
Douhan was addressing a press conference yesterday where she shared the initial findings of her mission in Qatar to assess the impact of unilateral sanctions on human rights.
The UN expert had spoken at length to several senior government officials, representatives of international organizations, human rights officials, lawyers, as well as victims and their families during her visit to Qatar from Nov 1 to 12.
Addressing media yesterday, Douhan said, “The Special Rapporteur urges the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Arab Republic of Egypt to immediately withdraw all sanctions/measures aimed at establishing restrictions on freedom of expression, movement, access to property, trade barriers, and ban tariffs, quotas, non-tariff measures, including those which prevent financing the purchase of medicine, medical equipment, food, other essential goods for people living in Qatar in violation of international legal standards.”
Douhan further asked the blockading states “to guarantee freedom of opinion and expression by annulling all Qatar sympathy laws, to take all necessary legislative and organizational measures to guarantee that activities under their jurisdiction and control are taken without any discrimination, to not initiate hatred towards people living in Qatar; and to drop all cases related to the application of the Qatar sympathy laws to guarantee that no discrimination is applied.”
Referring to the demands of the siege nations to shutdown Al Jazeera and other Qatari news outlets, the UN expert said that “the banning of them on their territories and the criminalization of expressions of sympathy with Qatar by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Bahrain – violate the rights of freedom of opinion and expression."
Douhan’s report shined a light on the series of unilateral measures against Qatar, such as asking over 3,000 Qataris to leave their territories; and removing to Qatar livestock belonging to Qataris, blocking access to Qatar-based media channels and websites, criminalizing the expression of sympathy with Qatar; and allegedly sponsoring a campaign to incite hatred or distrust of Qatar and Qataris over social and traditional media with references that Qatar is involved in terrorism financing and poses threats to regional security.
She also expressed serious concern over "the sudden, forced departures and the restrictions on return or entry of separated families of mixed Qatari origin; suspension of the studies of Qataris enrolled in universities in Saudi, the UAE and Bahrain; Qataris compelled to abandon real and personal property; Qataris’ and Qatar residents’ loss of employment or inability to operate their businesses in those states; and Qataris prevented from continuing to receive medical treatment in these countries.”
Douhan will share the final report to the United Nations Human Rights Council in September 2021.
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