CHAIRMAN: DR. KHALID BIN THANI AL THANI
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: DR. KHALID MUBARAK AL-SHAFI

Qatar

Spanish lawmakers invited to Qatar to see siege repercussions

Published: 23 Oct 2017 - 08:33 am | Last Updated: 09 Nov 2021 - 02:45 am
Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri (left), with Spanish officials in Madrid, yesterday. Also seen is Mohammed bin Jaham Al Kuwari (second left), Qatar’s Ambassador to Spain.

Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri (left), with Spanish officials in Madrid, yesterday. Also seen is Mohammed bin Jaham Al Kuwari (second left), Qatar’s Ambassador to Spain.

QNA

Madrid: Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC), Dr. Ali bin Sumaikh Al Marri has urged the Spanish government to put more pressure on the countries of the blockade to end their violations of human rights. 

He also urged them to give the siege crisis priority in their official meetings and diplomatic relations with those countries and push them to lift the siege immediately and unconditionally. Dr. Al Marri also called on the House of Representatives and the Senate in Spain to send a parliamentary mission of the State of Qatar to find out the violations of the siege countries and to organize a hearing session at the Spanish Parliament, in the presence of representatives of international human rights organizations.

This came during Al Marri’s a meeting with Spanish government officials, parliamentarians, Spanish human rights figures as well as officials of international human rights organizations, journalists and opinion leaders, editors of Spanish newspapers and media. Dr. Al Marri praised the understanding of officials in the Spanish government for the negative and humanitarian effects, and the keenness of the Spanish parliamentarians, human rights organizations and the Spanish media.

During his meeting with Director of Human Rights Department the Spanish Foreign Ministry, Adela D, Al Marri stressed the need to raise the serious humanitarian crisis with the governments of the siege countries, and during diplomatic events. He appealed to the Spanish government to exert more pressure to neutralise citizens and not to prejudice human rights in conflicts and political disputes, as stipulated by international laws, UN charters and international human rights laws.

Dr Al Marri praised the understanding of officials in the Spanish government for the negative and humanitarian effects, and the keenness of the Spanish parliamentarians in the two chambers, human rights organizations and the Spanish media, who had confirmed their readiness to double the pressure on the siege countries.

In this regard, during his meeting with Director of Human Rights Department the Spanish Foreign Ministry Adela D. , Al-Marri called on the Spanish government to exert more pressure on the governments of the four countries and to compel them to comply with calls from the international community to lift the unjust and illegal siege imposed on citizens and residents of the State of Qatar.

He stressed the need to raise the serious humanitarian crisis during the official meetings of the Spanish government with the governments of the siege countries, and during the diplomatic meetings of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs with officials in countries involved in one of the worst types of human-imposed blockade, throughout history.

He also appealed to the Spanish government to exert more pressure to neutralize citizens and not to prejudice human rights in conflicts and political disputes, as stipulated by international laws, United Nations charters and international human rights laws.

Dr. Al Marri also held a meeting with Ms. Pilar Rojo, Chairperson of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish House of Representatives, and a similar meeting with Manuel G. A., Chairman of the Spanish Senate Justice Committee. During the two meetings, Dr. Al-Marri reiterated his confidence in the role that parliamentarians can play locally and regionally and within the European Parliament to put an end to the serious violations caused by the blockade since June 5.

He called on members of the House of Representatives and the Senate to send a parliamentary mission to Doha to identify themselves on serious violations of human rights, and to hold direct meetings with those affected by the siege, as did representatives of the British Parliament, and members of Congress and the representatives of many international human rights organizations.

He also called on the Spanish parliamentarians to open a debate within the parliament, and organize a hearing session in the presence of some of those affected by the siege , and human rights organizations that visited Doha to review the effects of human tragedy. 

As he met with Spanish public attorney Francisco Fernandez, Dr. Al Marri presented a briefing on the repercussions of the siege and its dangerous humanitarian impacts as well as efforts of the committee since the beginning of the crisis, particularly to bring voices of those affected by the siege to the public attention at the different international platforms. He asked the Spanish public attorney to raise the issue of the unjust siege at the parliament and during meetings with Spanish government officials, praising at the same time the status of the public attorney and his role in the promotion and protection of human rights.

In addition, Dr. Al Marri met with representatives of human rights organizations in Madrid and briefed them on the grave violations that citizens and residents of the State of Qatar have been suffering for nearly five months under the siege in defiance of all international conventions and appeals by the international community and human rights organizations.

He called on these organizations to exercise strong pressure on the siege countries and double their efforts to expose the violations of the siege countries in a similar way to Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and other international human rights organizations. He also urged the organizations to stand in the face of the siege and establish an international coalition against the siege to prevent its reoccurrence.

The NHRC chairman invited all human rights organizations without exception to visit Qatar and to examine the reality of violations caused by the siege and refute the fabrications and lies promoted by the siege countries. He pointed to the suffering of thousands of citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council due to the siege in light of the weak stance of some countries and organizations and the silence of others, which encouraged the siege countries to continue to procrastinate and disregard the serious humanitarian tragedies that they caused. During a meeting with media personnel and journalists from Spanish media outlets in Madrid, Al Marri praised the history of Spain in terms of defending rights and freedoms.

“We thank the Kingdom of Spain for its honourable position, its support for dialogue as a solution for the current Gulf crisis,” Al Marri said.