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QNA
London
National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Chairman HE Dr Ali bin Smaikh al Marri has called for immediate action by the United Kingdom (UK) to end the unjust siege of Qatar.
During a meeting with officials at the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London on Thursday, the NHRC chief said that remaining neutral on this issue is a"violation in itself of the rights of those abused by the siege".
"Remaining neutral is also an encouragement for the blockading countries to continue their act of collective punishment," Marri added.
The NHRC chief stressed that the official report of the UN, which condemned the measures taken by the blockading countries, should also be a signal that countries can no longer remain neutral.
Marri met Minister of State for the Middle East and North Africa Alistair Burt and Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the United Nations.
The NHRC chief also handed to the two UK ministers an official copy of the report of the technical mission of the United Nations' Office of High Commissioner of Human Rights (OHCHR) on their findings following their visit to Qatar.
Marri said Qatar remains in touch with all international human rights organisations and encourages them to visit Doha to meet those affected directly by the siege, unlike the blockading countries that continue to operate behind closed doors preventing all international regulatory bodies and rights organisations from sending fact-finding missions to ascertain the implications of the seven-month siege.
Appreciating the efforts of the UN technical mission, he called on the UK government to support the work of the OHCHR and implement its recommendations to end the siege.
He hailed the efforts of a delegation of UK MPs that visited Doha and issued a comprehensive report on their findings after meeting a number of people affected by the siege.
Marri said the UK government now has a legal and moral responsibility to end the unjust siege and support those affected.
During his meeting with the Minister of State for Middle East and North Africa and the Minister of State for Commonwealth Affairs, the NHRC chief gave a presentation on the sufferings of the people of Qatar, and the three Gulf states (Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain) due to the continuation of the unjust blockade.
He said the governments of the world stand as spectators, or merely present verbal condemnations instead of exerting diplomatic, political and economic pressure on the blockading countries.
Marri said the UK, which is known for the integrity of its judicial system and its concern for human rights, can take steps to stand with the victims of arbitrary measures.
He stressed that the countries of the blockade, contrary to their media propaganda, continue to undermine the stability and unity of the social fabric of the Gulf region, because of their arbitrary measures that caused separation of families, especially after Saudi Arabia's final closure of the only border port linking Qatar to the world, as well as the broadcast of hate speech recorded in the report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.
The NHRC chief told British government officials that the suffering of those affected by the blockade should not be prolonged because of a political decision, stressing that the highest priority at the present time is to stop the suffering of those affected by the blockade, and"we should not link human rights to the results of any political negotiations to resolve the crisis".
Marri reiterated his call on the Government of Qatar not to enter into any negotiation before lifting the arbitrary measures and redressing those affected.
He pointed out that the National Human Rights Commission's main concern now is the persistence of the countries of the blockade in their arbitrary and discriminatory approaches, and the absence of any intention to lift the injustice and redress the victims.
