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Maneesh Bakshi
Doha
An eight-member independent British Parliamentary Inquiry Committee headed by Grahame Morris has expressed shock over the serious violations of human rights of Qatari people following the ongoing blockade imposed by the Saudi-led coalition on Qatar.
At a press conference held at National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) on Friday, Morris said,"After studying and talking to number of victims across families, students and spouses, there is no doubt in my mind as regards the serious human rights violations resulting from the blockade."
The team members also had a meeting with NHRC Chairman Dr Ali bin Smaikh al Marri where they had an opportunity to study the complaints registered by the victims with the committee. They also spoke to the victims to have a first-hand account of the suffering of the people arising from the blockade.
"We observed a broad spectrum of human rights violations suffered by ordinary citizens. Some have been denied their right to participate in religious pilgrimages while many suffered because they were not able to access health or educational facilities while others were denied their employment or property rights and so on," Morris told Qatar Tribune.
"We also find cases of media violations. For example in Aljazeera, we saw cases where journalists were harassed or not allowed to travel and were subjected to imprisonment and so on. But the worst were the cases of splitting of families or children who were forced to discontinue their education which amounted to serious violations," he said.
He said it was unfortunate that the blockade was serving nobody, but was causing an adverse effect on the human rights of substantial numbers of Qatari citizens. Some children in need of medical attention were denied health facilities in Saudi Arabia which, he said, was heart-rending.
Asked about the key objectives of their committee, Morris said,"Our idea is to consolidate the findings of the individual members of this Parliamentary Inquiry Committee and submit a report to the British parliament with the hope that something good will come out it that will help ultimately lift the blockade."
"I personally believe nobody wins from the blockade, neither the countries who imposed it nor the people who are suffering from it. Hence it is in everybody's interest to come to the discussion table and resolve their differences through dialogue," Morris said.