Washington, 29 June 2019

Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri, Chairman, National Human Rights Committee of Qatar has warned that “the Gulf crisis has reached its peak of escalation, which has increased the concerns and fears of the Gulf people.” He called for “the need to take deterrent measures against the countries of the blockade, To stop the violations that have affected thousands of families and individuals citizens and residents of the State of Qatar since over two years embargo is imposed on Qatar.

He noted that the United States, like other Western governments, bears some responsibility, therefore, it should act immediately to prevent the blockade countries from prolonging the crisis and protecting human rights in the Gulf, as it does in the rest of the world.

Al-Marri called on the Tom Lants Committee on Human Rights in the US Congress to visit the National Human Rights Committee in Doha to investigate the repercussions of the embargo and to identify the reforms of State of Qatar in the labor market and protect the human rights of both Qatari and expatriate citizens at the same time.

He said that NHRC to bring a number of victims of the siege to provide live testimony of their suffering during a hearing in the US Congress in the future; as was done in the European Parliament and the former Human Rights Council.

Chairman NHRC is in Washington and carried out intensive meetings with US Officials and members off the Congress. He also met  Tim Lander King, Deputy Assistant Secretary in State Department for Gulf Affairs.

Among US Congressmen, he held his meetings with Ted Deutsche, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Middle East Affairs in Congress, Jim Himes, Member of the Congressional Group on Qatar, and Gus Pelerakis, Co-Chair and member of Congressional Group on Qatar, Chris Stewart, a member of the House of Representatives and Congressional Group on Qatar, Steve Shabout, member of the Middle East Subcommittee on Middle East Affairs, NH Foreign Affairs Committee, US House of Representatives, Ms. Vicky Hartzler, a member of US House of Representatives, Jackie Spire, member of US House of Representatives.

Al-Marri lauded concern shown in this regard by Assistant Secretary of State of the repercussions.

During his meeting with Lander King, Deputy US Assistant Secretary of State for Gulf Affairs, NHRC Chairman warned of the dangers of dispersing Gulf families. He said that “these violations continue to exist, and the countries of the blockade continue to put obstacles that prevent the movement of families between Qatar and the siege countries and violate their basic rights, especially the right to family reunification, mobility, treatment and ownership”.

He said that Gulf summits failed to resolve the crisis because of the intransigence of the countries of the blockade
In response to questions from members of the US House of Representatives on the fate of international efforts, particularly the Kuwaiti mediation to solve the Gulf crisis, Dr. Ali Marri said, “Unfortunately, the previous Gulf meetings and summits failed to find a solution to the suffering of the Gulf people, human tragedy and looks further harming and disruption of family ties ”

He pointed out that “the crisis of the siege has resulted in the dispersion of the social fabric of the Gulf families and with the prolongation of the crisis and the emergence of new unrest in the region, the fears of the peoples of the region are increasing.” He warned that “any threat to the stability of the region would have consequences for the security and stability of the whole world” .

In his meeting with members of the US House of Representatives on the developments in the region, Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al-Marri warned that the Gulf region and the Middle East are already facing severe crises and no longer bear the escalation of conflicts and rising tensions.