MANAMA: Qatar’s gross human rights violations against its citizens and expatriate workers have been exposed during a TV programme aired by Bahrain TV recently.
Speaking to the Bahrain TV’s Special Programme, Shura Council second deputy chairperson Jameela Salman said the human rights issue in Qatar is characterised by inhumanity, noting that Qatar tends to hide behind human rights organisations that it has established and financed to cover up its miserable human rights situation.
She added that Doha has paid huge bribes and sums in the form of donations to foreign institutions, and attacks other countries by making allegations of human rights in an attempt to distract international public opinion from its violations in the human rights field.
Ms Salman stressed that reports of human rights organisations and the US State Department prove that the human rights violations in Qatar have become horrific at all levels, and have been exposed to the world.
She pointed to the violations that Qatari citizens are subjected to, whether in terms of freedom of opinion, the freedom to practise religious beliefs or women’s rights, as well as the violations against Qatari tribes, such as Al Ghufran and Al Murra, including the revocation of citizenship, confiscation of property and their deprivation of the most basic human rights such as the right to health, in addition to the grave human rights violations that foreign workers in Qatar are subjected to.
Ms Salman also touched on Qatar’s sponsorship and financing of terrorism, being one of the biggest violations of human rights as it poses a threat to international peace.
Ms Salman asserted that Qatari women are not empowered, and do not enjoy their full rights, as they suffer from inequality and the absence of social justice, and are treated as not fully-competent citizens in legislation and daily practices.
She cited the remarks of the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention during their visit to Qatar and the reports of Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which indicated that Qatari women under the age of 25 cannot exercise their civil rights, such as signing contracts, leaving the homes of their relatives, or travelling outside the country without the consent of their male guardians. Added to this, Qatari women cannot obtain driving licences or join a government job without the consent of male guardians.
The situation of foreign workers, who account for 95 per cent of the workforce in Qatar, is no better, she said, noting that they have been subjected to a large number of grave human rights violations. She cited international reports that have exposed the massive violations suffered by foreign workers participating in building the facilities related to the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
She pointed out that the practices monitored by international reports have uncovered Qatar’s human rights violations and drawn the attention of international organisations and the world to the inhuman reality of Qatar.
She referred to Amnesty International’s report, which monitored the death of about 6,599 foreign workers from five Asian countries since the beginning of Qatar’s preparations to host the 2022 World Cup, noting that although Amnesty International called for an independent investigation into the causes of these deaths, no results have been announced, the families of the victims have not been compensated and those responsible for their deaths have not been held accountable so far.
President of the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights Essam Shiha said that many violations are taking place against its citizens.
He added that Qatar’s human rights violations against foreign workers, especially during the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic and the preparations for the World Cup 2020, have been strongly criticised by Amnesty International and some American organisations.
He stressed that Qatar has been exercising such violations for a long time, but exerts pressure on its affiliate and funded organisations to try to change the mental image of Qatari citizens and public opinion about its practices.
He also highlighted Qatar’s backing of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood organisation.
He also highlighted Doha’s failure to implement 296 human rights recommendations made by more than 100 countries during the 2019 human rights review.
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