Human rights defenders in Qatar remain at risk, including those who speak up about the human rights situation including women’s and migrants’ rights, according to cases documented by the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR). GCHR has produced this short report updating cases of human rights defenders who have faced reprisals in Qatar, ahead of the EU-Qatar Human Rights Dialogue to be held on 25 September 2024.
Woman human rights defender Noof Al-Maadeed silenced
GCHR has received specific information that woman human rights defender Noof Al-Maadeed is alive but banned from talking to the media or expressing her views on social medial network. Noof Al-Maadeed fled Qatar in 2019 but returned to the country in September 2021 after receiving assurances that she would receive protection and be allowed to live freely. Since then, she has made several videos about threats she has received and has disappeared at various points from public life, and hasn’t been heard from since March 2023.
Human rights defender Abdullah Al-Maliki sentenced to life in prison in absentia
In their endless efforts to target Qatari citizens who are working for human rights in exile, the Qatari embassy in Berlin, and the Qatari consulate in Munich respectively, again refused all the recent requests submitted by human rights defender Abdullah Al-Maliki to renew his personal documents. Due to his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities, he was sentenced in absentia to life in prison.
After being exposed to all these direct and indirect threats, legal cases and harassment, which put his life in grave danger, on 31 January 2024, Al-Maliki applied for political asylum in Germany. This was his only option that would guarantee him full protection and preserve his right to a free and dignified life.
In a special statement to the Gulf Centre for Human Rights (GCHR), Al-Maliki said, “The State Security Apparatus, the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Emiri Court are all delusional if they think that with their repeated targeting of me and my children, I will stop peaceful activities that include defending human rights in my country, Qatar, demanding democracy and fighting corruption.” Al-Maliki also stressed, “A person lives life once, so he and others must live it with freedom, dignity, justice, and equality wherever he is.”
Two human rights lawyers sentenced to life on appeal
On 31 October 2022, the Qatar Criminal Court of Appeal confirmed the life imprisonment sentences handed down to two human rights lawyers.
On 19 May 2022, the Criminal Court, Second Circuit, issued a sentence of life imprisonment against lawyer Dr. Hazzaa bin Ali Abu Shraydeh Al-Marri, who was arrested on 10 August 2021, and his brother, lawyer Rashid bin Ali Abu Shraydeh Al-Marri, who was arrested the next day.
Recent reports received by GCHR confirmed that both lawyers are being held in the Central Prison in Doha.
Arbitrary travel bans imposed against citizens
The State Security Apparatus continues to arbitrarily prevent a number of innocent citizens from traveling without any judicial procedures, and outside the scope of the law. Among those being prevented from traveling is a prominent human rights lawyer, Dr. Najeeb Mohammed Al-Nuaimi, who served as Minister of Justice from 1995 to 1997. He has been banned from traveling since January 2017. Al-Nuaimi obtained a court order in June 2017, which found that “the justification for the ban had ended” and ruling for “cancellation of the travel ban levelled against the appellant.” However, the authorities continue to bar Al-Nuaimi from leaving the country.
The list of those banned from travel also includes the Internet activist Mohammed Yousef Al-Sulaiti, who has been banned from traveling since 2018, and detained by the Qatari official authorities in October 2020. Local reports confirmed that he was sentenced to life imprisonment on 12 June 2021, and that he is serving his sentence in the Central Prison in Doha, after false accusations were brought against him, including espionage and planning to overthrow the regime.
GCHR confirms that despite joint efforts with its human rights partners such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, authorities in Qatar rejected all the efforts to halt the travel ban imposed on those innocent citizens.
Ongoing violations against migrant workers
Not much has changed for migrants workers in Qatar, whose situations were accurately described in a report published by GCHR following a mission to Qatar, which documented the gross violations of the civil and human rights of foreign workers, beginning from their departure from their countries of origin when they were chosen to travel and work in Qatar, and continuing upon their arrival and during their work.
The Qatari government continues its historical silence when it comes to protecting their civil and human rights. The government refuses to fully respect the rights of workers and compensate them, especially the workers who were killed during the construction of the 2022 FIFA World Cup stadiums in Qatar.
Also, authorities in Qatar rejected all our calls to grant migrant workers their basic right of forming unions that defend their rights.
Recommendations
GCHR calls on authorities to respect the civil and human rights of woman human rights defender Noof Al-Maadeed and give her free access to social media network and beyond.
GCHR also calls on the government of Qatar to immediately and unconditionally stop targeting prominent human rights defender Abdullah Al-Maliki, overturn his life sentence. GCHR believes that he is being targeted because of his peaceful and legitimate human rights activities. The authorities in Qatar should renew all his official Qatari documents, including his passport and identity card, and refrain from targeting his family members inside Qatar.
GCHR further appeals to the government of Germany, in which Al-Maliki is practicing his peaceful human rights activities, to grant him the full protection that he desperately needs.
GCHR also appeals to the Qatari government to release human rights lawyer Hazzaa bin Ali Abu Shraydeh Al-Marri and his brother, lawyer Rashid bin Ali Abu Shraydeh Al-Marri. The peaceful demand for political participation should not be the reason for these shocking rulings.
GCHR calls on the competent authorities to work to lift the travel bans on all citizens, including prominent human rights lawyer Dr. Najeeb Al-Nuaimi, as well as Internet activist Mohammed bin Yousef Al-Sulaiti, who must also be released immediately and without conditions.
The government in Qatar must respect the basic human rights of citizens and residents, especially since the Qatari government signed and ratified in 2018 the two international covenants on civil and political rights and social, cultural and economic rights, including freedom of expression on and off the Internet, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association and the right to form trade unions independent of the government, and freedom of movement inside and outside the country.
