Saudi Gazette report

GENEVA – Speakers at a Geneva seminar rejected Qatar’s arbitrary act of revoking the citizenship of Sheikh Taleb Bin Lahom Bin Shreim and 54 members of his family belonging to the Al-Murrah tribe. The seminar, organized by the Arab Federation for Human Rights (AFHR), considered the Qatari act as a kind of ‘systematic revenge’ against the family for exercising their natural rights to freedom of movement and freedom of expression. The seminar, entitled “Human rights in Qatar: Sheikh Taleb Bin Shreim is a stark example” was held on the sidelines of the UN Human Rights Council session. It was for the second time in a couple of days the UNHRC session was overshadowed by the arbitrary Qatari act against a group of its citizens from Al-Ghufran clan of Al-Murrah tribe.

Addressing the seminar, Sarhan Al-Tahir Saadi, general coordinator of AFHR, urged Doha to revoke its decision to strip the Al-Murrah tribe members of their citizenship. The participants listened to the testimonies of members of the Al-Ghufran clan, whose citizenship was withdrawn without any justification or legal justification. The participants noted that Doha’s arbitrary measures should be considered as a collective punishment, indicating that the revocation of the nationality of 55 members of the clan is clearly an arbitrary act by the government in violation of the principles of human rights and in direct violation of the provisions of the international laws governing the granting and withdrawal of nationality in accordance with certain mechanisms and controls.

“It is also to be noted that the fact that the decision of the Qatari government was sudden and without any reason or legal justification, and was not based on any judicial decisions or fair trials,” they pointed out.

The Qatari authorities issued this month its decision to withdraw citizenship of Sheikh Taleb and 54 members of his family, including women and children, in addition to confiscating their properties in an arbitrary manner and without any legal basis.

The human rights activists, who participated in the seminar, expressed their deep concern over the consequences of the measures taken by the Qatari authorities against a number of Al-Murrah members and the consequent displacement and deprivation of their basic rights and freedoms in areas of health, education, housing, work, mobility, and expression besides other rights and freedoms that are enshrined in the international conventions and pacts, ratified by the government of Qatar and pledged to make available for its citizens.

The participants noted that international human rights law recognizes the right of states to decide who are their nationals but at the same time emphasizes that this right is not an absolute one. “All governments should comply with their human rights obligations with respect to granting and stripping of citizenship, and prevent arbitrary deprivation of nationality, because it effectively increases the woes of the affected persons and their vulnerability to human rights violations, besides threatening their lives and the future of their children.”

The speakers pointed out that international laws emphasize granting the right to appeal by those who have been subjected to revocation of nationality at courts, and provide all opportunities for them to express their views, in accordance with fair trials consistent with the international law.

The AFHR delegates called on the international community to investigate Qatar’s violations against a senior member of Al-Murrah tribe and his family. They appealed to all human rights organizations inside and outside Qatar to play their role in this regard and monitor these violations as well as to stand by these victims.

The Federation also stressed that silence on this blatant abuse, gross violation and collective punishment of innocent people —for no fault of theirs but only because of the punishment meted out by the Qatari authorities — is in violation of the credibility of human rights and their universal values. “All those concerned inside and outside Qatar, especially Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee, will be responsible for what was exposed from danger by this tribe and its members. The committee has not observed this violation and has recently implemented Qatar’s unfair policy with discarding its duty of defending human rights principles.”

The Federation called upon the Qatari government to quickly revoke this arbitrary decision and to restore the nationality to Sheikh Taleb and his family, in addition to returning of their confiscated properties after taking into account of the fact that they were not involved in any terror or illegal activities. It also called on the Qatari authorities to respect the freedom of opinion and expression guaranteed by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and all relevant international conventions and documents.

The participants noted that the unjust decision of the Qatari government against Sheikh Taleb and his family violated many provisions and rules of international law that affirmed the right of a person for his citizenship and for not arbitrarily depriving of it. They also noted that Article 7 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child envisages the right of the child for citizenship since its birth and the duty of the state to respect the right of the child to preserve its identity, including citizenship. The participants also emphasized that Article 8 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which protects the identity of the child, including its nationality from any unlawful interference, is another proof for criminalizing Qatari misconduct against members of Al-Murrah tribe.

The Federation stressed that the decision of the Qatari authorities against Sheikh Taleb and his family is in violation of the provisions of the Qatari Constitution. The Article 18 of the constitution states that the society is based on the pillars of justice, virtues, freedom, equality and morality whereas Article 19 states that the State has to ensure the security, stability and equality of opportunities for citizens. Article 20 of the constitution calls for strengthening the spirit of patriotism, solidarity and fraternity among all citizens.

The AFHR also pointed out that Doha’s unjust decision is ‘a clear departure from the text of Article 29 (1) of the Arab Charter for Human Rights, which explicitly states that “everyone has the right to citizenship and may not be arbitrarily or unlawfully deprived of any person.”