Qatar's human rights violations affect entire society: Bahrain MP

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune - www.newsofbahrain.com

Qatari regime’s violations and continuous disregard for the human rights principles have covered all members of the Qatari society without exception, as the circle of violations included citizens, tribes, opponents, and expatriate workers who have been the most affected recently, said Bahrain Parliament Human Rights Committee chairman MP Ammar Al-Bannai.

Al-Bannai said that since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), expatriate workers and many human rights organisations have complained of the violations, violence and arbitrariness of the Qatari regime against expatriate workers. Several Qatari companies even stopped paying the low salaries, paying no heed to their difficult financial and family conditions, or their inability to secure daily needs. Moreover, the Qatari regime paved way for many companies to dismiss thousands of expatriate workers without prior notice and deprive them of their dues, in addition to forcing them to bear the costs of their return to home countries.

He added that the dehumanised practices against expatriate workers have exposed the lies of the Qatari regime in front of the international community and human rights organisations, and proved the extent to which companies, under government cover, are exploiting the issue of migrant workers in the worst ways, overriding all international labour agreements and treaties, human rights principles, and transgressing the dignity and rights of foreign workers, without any supervision or control over employers in Qatar.

Al-Bannai pointed out that the Qatari regime spends billions of dollars on building foreign military bases on its lands, supporting some of its allied internationally-sanctioned countries to save their economies, and supporting terrorist and mercenary groups around the world, as well as on destroying Arab countries, but refuses to pay the low wages of foreign workers.

The Qatari regime exercises tyranny on expatriate workers in order to silence them and prevent them from exposing the human rights violations against them, he said, adding that despite the repeated calls of international human rights organisations to act immediately and address the situation, no action has been taken in this regard.

Al-Bannai pointed out that the Qatari regime’s violations also covered the Qatari citizens, and the deep-rooted tribes, in addition to the members of the ruling family, stressing that human rights respect does not exist in Qatar, except in the political speeches and the lies of the Al-Jazeera satellite channel.

He indicated that the human rights violations, the torture and forcible kidnapping of the members of the opposition and tribesmen who reject Qatar’s policies that have linked its name to supporting terrorism and mercenary groups and made it an ally to terror sponsor states that deny human rights have uncovered the extent of the Qatari regime’s tyranny and oppression against its people, citing the repeated arrests of the ruling family members who reject Qatar’s hostile policies against GCC countries and criticise the Qatari government.

Al-Bannai further stressed that the human rights principles do not exist in the “dictionary” of the Qatari regime, especially towards the Qatari citizens, but are used as a weapon against neighbouring countries and in the foreign policy only.

At the domestic level, there is no freedom of expression and whoever demands equality and freedom are arrested, silenced or expulsed, he said, citing the practices against the Al-Ghufran and Al-Murra tribesmen whose members have been either imprisoned, deprived of the right to property and exercise of political rights, expulsed or denaturalised.

He added that the Qatari regime practised these violations and systematic terrorism against its people because of the refusal of many Qatari tribes, ruling family members, and the general public of the Qatari people to have their properties and lands confiscated by persons from the ruling family, in addition to their rejection of the naturalisation of Iranians and Turks. The Qatari government responded by withdrawing the opponents’ nationalities and stripping them of their most basic rights, which is the right to live on their land.

At the international level, the Qatari regime’s human rights violations are abundant and widespread in all parts of the world, through its support for globalised terrorism, overtly or secretly, its association with and financial and logistical support of terrorist groups, he said, adding that Doha has been transformed into a five-star hotel for the leaders of these terrorist groups and mercenaries, who are used as a weapon and tool to attack foreign countries.

The Representatives Council Committee Chairman also highlighted Qatar’s violations of human rights at the sea, citing the Qatari forces' continuous targeting of Bahraini fishermen and putting their lives and livelihoods at risk, in breach of the international norms and treaties, as well as the good neighbourliness principles.

He added that the Qatari forces also fired at Bahraini fishermen, injuring them, destroying their boats and making them lose their livelihoods and the source of income of their families, in breach of the right to life, personal safety, the right to work and freedom of movement within the territorial borders of the Kingdom of Bahrain, which is guaranteed by international human rights covenants.