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Hisham Aljundi
Doha
The Ministry of Interior (MoI) is working with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to offer asylum to those who cannot get back to their countries, a top official of the ministry has said.
Director of the Human Rights Department at the MoI Brigadier Abdullah Saqr al Muhannadi said asylum seekers in Qatar have several ways to apply for the status."An asylum seeker can apply through a website which we are working on at the moment. They can come directly to us at the Human Rights Department at the MoI, or they can apply through the UNHCR," he said.
Once acquiring the status of refugee, an asylum seeker can receive an array of rights such as financial aid, accommodation, education, healthcare, and work authorization with full freedom to practice his religion, he said.
Qatar has been following democratic and transparent steps and has many mechanisms for laws related to citizens or expatriates, Muhannadi said.
In this regard, he pointed to the abolition of the sponsorship law in exchange for a new contractual relationship between employer and job seeker.
He also pointed to the national protection mechanisms in the country with the establishment of bodies such as human rights departments at ministries of interior and foreign affairs, the National Human Rights Committee in 2002, and the committees to combat human trafficking.
The recent political asylum law issued by the state is a unique statute at the regional level.
He elaborated the role and mechanism for applying for asylum in Qatar, its nature, the advantages of obtaining this right, and the reasons that can lead to stripping of the right or refusal to grant the same.
Qatar, he noted, has played a pioneering role in this context at the national, regional and international levels, thus contributing to the services provided and the fulfilment of the interests of both citizens and residents.
Muhannadi pointed to the permanent residency in a structured legislative framework as part of these efforts and services, and outlined the reasons for its issuance, the categories covered, the conditions and the exceptions for obtaining them.
