Al-Watan, Al-Raya Call on International Organizations to Stop Saudi Violations against Qataris Rights

Doha, October 15 (QNA) - Qatari dailies Al-Watan and Al-Raya called on the international organizations to take firm stances on Saudi violations against the rights of the Qatari people and to exercise their duties as human rights organizations. The dailies noted in their editorials Monday HE Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr. Ali bin Smaikh Al Marri's call on the United Nations to conduct international investigations into the Saudi Arabia's violations of the right to practice religious rites which affected citizens and residents in Qatar, stressing the need for sending a UN fact-finding mission to find out the fate of the four Qatari victims of enforced disappearance. For its part, Al-Watan said that the politicization of Hajj will continue to be an egregious violation and that the National Human Rights Committee will continue its efforts to stop this shameful violation and preserve the right of citizens and residents in Qatar to perform their rites. The paper stressed the need for the international community to activate its various mechanisms to carry out international investigations into the Saudi Arabia's violations of the right to practice religious rites, pointing out that the violations that have affected Qatari citizens and residents by preventing them from performing Hajj or Umrah are intolerable. Al-Watan added that during a meeting with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief Ahmed Shaheed, HE the Chairman the National Human Rights Committee affirmed that the mechanisms claimed by the Saudi authorities to deal with the situation of victims affected by violations are misleading and ambiguous because they did not address the human rights situation of those affected by the violation of the right to practice religious rites, noting that none of these mechanisms did not communicate with the NHRC, despite its relentless efforts towards it. Al-Watan underlined that Saudi Arabia's politicization of religious rites is a deliberate policy, violation and an arbitrary action, adding that it appears that we are facing a new type of racial discrimination that limits the freedom to practice religious rites, as affirmed by HE NHRC Chairman Dr. Al Marri. In turn, Al-Raya daily said that the National Human Rights Committee's (NHRC) demand for the Saudi authorities to immediately reveal the whereabouts of the four Qatari nationals came to affirm that they are victims of enforced disappearance and arbitrary detention, holding the Saudi authorities fully responsible for their safety. Saudi authorities bear the full responsibility for their safety and for enabling them to return to their country and their families, the paper said, noting that neither the State of Qatar nor the families of the Qatari nationals detained in Saudi Arabia can know where their whereabouts or even communicate with them or know their fate. The newspaper stressed that it is important to send a UN fact-finding mission to find out the fate of the three Qatari victims of enforced disappearance and another citizen who was arbitrarily detained. It also urged the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Working Group on Enforced Disappearance to undertake a joint field visit to Saudi Arabia to reveal the situation of the Qatari nationals detained there, especially in light of Saudi Arabia's procrastination and non-response to international calls for the release of the Qatari nationals. The paper also said that the Qatari demands for Saudi Arabia to immediately reveal the whereabouts of the four Qatari citizens came due to "serious concerns" about their fate, since they have been held by the Saudi authorities for a long time under abnormal conditions. Moreover, it described the Saudi authorities' actions against Qatari nationals as shameful and inhumane and will leave psychological effects on future generations, urging international organizations to exert more pressure to release the Qatari nationals before it is too late. In conclusion, Al-Raya said that Qatar is in constant contact with the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention and the Working Group on Enforced Disappearance, and therefore it appreciates the efforts of the international organizations and renews its call for these organizations to move and exert more pressure on Saudi Arabia to reveal the fate of the four Qatari citizens and to release them immediately. (QNA)