UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, Alena Douhan (left), addressing a press conference in Doha yesterday. PIC: SALIM MATRAMKOT/THE PENINSULA
The UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, Alena Douhan, yesterday expressed concerns over impact of blockade against Qatar by Saudi-led quartet on enjoyment of human rights.
The expulsion of Qataris from the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain, and the recalls of nationals of those states from Qatar, as well as the bans on travel imposed by those states, have resulted in numerous reported violations of the enjoyment of fundamental rights and freedoms, including: the right to family life; the right to an education; the right to work; the right to health; the right to private property; the right to free exercise of religion; and the right to equal access to justice, Douhan said at a press conference in Doha yesterday.
In Qatar, she met a large number of victims of human rights violations including individuals, lawyers, journalists and representatives of local civil society, humanitarian organisations, corporations and academia.
She said that among those who are reported to be badly affected are couples in mixed marriages and their children; Qatari nationals with jobs or businesses based in the four states (Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt) or involved in joint ventures with nationals of the four states; Qatari students studying in the four states; nationals of the four states, Qatar and third countries exercising their freedom of expression and speaking in sympathy for Qatar or in opposition to their own governments’ actions towards Qatar.
“Individuals and employees of companies designated by the four states as being involved in terrorist activity; Qatari agencies involved in the organisation of Hajj and Umrah; and Qatari nationals not being able to exercise their religious rights by visiting Holy places are among victims of sanctions.”
She noted that the rights of migrant workers are also directly and indirectly affected, as many lost their jobs and were left stranded by employers without salaries and/or benefits.
The Special Rapporteur expressed concerns that breach or interruption of trade and communication networks may result in the violation of the right to life with regard to specific medicines for which there are no equivalent alternative sources of supply, like scorpion and snake bite antidotes locally produced in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The interruption of communication and exchange of information between law-enforcement agencies increases risks in creating protection gaps for victims of human trafficking, she said.
“In addition, the four states’ demands to shut down Al Jazeera and other Qatari news outlets, the banning of them on their territories and the criminalisation of expressions of sympathy with Qatar by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain violate the rights of freedom of opinion and expression.”
She said that the reported and well-documented anti-Qatari incitement campaigns in the media of the four states also violate the rights to freedom of expression, as well as obligations to take all necessary measures to prevent and prosecute incitement to racial discrimination. Insufficient transparency adds to forming the feelings of fear and uncertainty that result in mental suffering.
To a question whether United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) could push the blockading countries to find a better solution diplomatically to the crisis, she said the Council was not a court to make a final decision asking states to follow. “However, the country visit is one of the mechanisms under special procedures of the council in order to collect information about what exactly happened in the country. It is also impossible to meet for example victims, journalists, academia, students, lawyers, companies of the country without visiting the country.”
She said that report which will be presented to the UNHRC in September 2021 will be discussed by whole Council. “We hope very much this will mediate and settle the conflict. We want to draw attention to the fact that it is important not to relay on a single mechanism. That is way I commend very much the efforts that Qatar is taking now by appeals to huge number of competent international bodies.”
