Doha, November 13 (QNA) - Al Raya newspaper highlighted the statements of Alena Douhan, the UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights, regarding the unjust blockade on the State of Qatar.
In its editorial on Friday titled "UN official's statement on the unjust blockade," Al Raya pointed to the affirmation of the UN rapporteur during a press conference on Thursday that the Qataris face systematic discrimination against human rights due to the unilateral measures taken by the blockading countries. She said that this requires the international community to pressure these countries to immediately withdraw all these coercive measures in violation of the relevant international law and norms, given that the unfair measures not only harm the Qatari people, but also all residents of Qatar, as well as the citizens of the blockading countries.
Douhan affirmed that the coercive measures taken by the blockading countries against the State of Qatar have caused widespread violations of the rights of Qataris and citizens of these countries, noting that these punitive measures continue to discriminate against Qataris based on their national origin, which are continuous and systematic violations of human rights.
Therefore, it is important for the international community to pressure the blockading countries to fully implement the decisions and interim measures decided by the competent international bodies, including the reunification of mixed families and granting Qatari students affected by the measures taken by the four countries the opportunity to complete their education in these countries or obtain their educational records to continue their studies elsewhere, she added.
Douhan stressed the importance of lifting the unjust and illegal blockade on the State of Qatar, adding that the blockading countries are required to withdraw all restrictions on freedom of expression and movement, given that the expulsion of Qataris from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, the summoning of those countries' nationals from Qatar, and the travel ban imposed by those countries have all resulted in numerous violations of rights and basic freedoms for Qatari citizens, including the rights to family life, education, work, health, private property, free exercise of religion and equal access to justice, therefore, these countries are directly responsible for these negative repercussions that hurt the Qatari people.
The State of Qatar has dealt with complete transparency with the repercussions of the unjust blockade and foiled all the plans and revealed them to the international community, stressing that the visit of the UN Special Rapporteur on unilateral coercive measures and human rights to Doha demonstrates the transparency of the State of Qatar, which provided all information related to the repercussions of the unjust blockade on Qatari citizens and foreign nationals who work in the State of Qatar and also citizens of these countries, Al Raya explained.
The newspaper concluded that the demands of the blockading countries that were bypassed by the State of Qatar constitute an infringement of basic and media freedoms, and it has found condemnation at the global level, especially since the State of Qatar has proven its leadership in promoting freedom of expression in the region. (QNA)