Geneva                                                                                                                                                                                               25 June 2018                                                                                                                                                                                     (MOFA Qatar)

The State of Qatar called upon the Human Rights Council and its relevant mechanisms, especially the special procedures, to act urgently, seriously and more effectively and to carry out their responsibilities to put an end to the violations caused by the unjust siege imposed on Qatar by a number of countries in the region for one year, and to end the suffering and find effective redress for those affected by the siege, and to hold those responsible accountable in order to prevent the recurrence of those violations.

Addressing the 28th special session of the Human Rights Council on Monday, Deputy Permanent Representative of the State of Qatar to the United Nations Office in Geneva Al Mohannad Ali Al Hammadi said that the month of June marks one year of the unilateral and coercive measures and the unjust siege imposed by a number of countries in the region on Qatar, noting that the violations of human rights and the suffering of those affected continue until this moment.

During this year, the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar received 4,105 complaints. The report of the technical mission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights also monitored a long list of violations involving families that were separated and prevented from communication. The violations reached the point of depriving children of one of their relatives, and the members of these families have been subjected to great psychological pressure. Many students were prevented from continuing their education, patients were forced to leave hospitals, and individuals were denied their right to work or to access their property because of their Qatari nationality, Al Hammadi explained.

One year after the siege and the unilateral coercive measures, the Hajj season is approaching, and the same scenario is repeated. The Saudi authorities continue to put obstacles and arbitrary measures against the citizens and residents of Qatar to practice this Islamic ritual in the Kingdom, Al Hammadi added, noting that this siege and these unilateral coercive measures have far-reaching effects, particularly on the social fabric and the rights of individuals, which are difficult to remedy if decisive and urgent action is not taken to end such violations.

Meanwhile, the absence of mechanisms of redress for the victims in the siege countries makes it difficult to prosecute the perpetrators of these violations at the national level, and it closes the door before those affected to receive any compensation or reparation for damage, especially as their suffering increases daily without a solution to the crisis, Al Hammadi underlined.