The Qatar’s NHRC or National Human Rights Commission states that it is going to hire Swiss lawyers. The Swiss law firm will help the NHRC get compensation for those who are bearing losses because of the decision of three Gulf countries to cut ties with Qatar.
The NHRC Chairman Ali Bin Smaikh al-Marri wants to seek legal action. The Swiss lawyers will sue Bahrain, UAE, and Saudi Arabia. The country aims to get compensation for three weeks ties cut off.
Swiss Lawyers to Pursue Cases Locally and Internationally
NHRC Chairman said that the Swiss lawyers would pursue the cases in different capacities. Some cases will be prosecuted in the local courts inside these three countries. Similarly, the organization will seek compensation by also suing these countries in some international tribunals.
The Chairman did not give out the name of the Swiss law firm engaged for this assignment. However, the Qatari officials may release a statement shortly. The Chairman further added that a lot of Qataris qualify for the compensation from these countries.
The crisis has resulted in problems for Qataris with properties and businesses in these countries. A lot of them own more than one property in Saudi Arabia.
Qatari Businesses with Employees in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Bahrain
Many Qatari businessmen have their employees working in these three Gulf countries. Some of them own farms and livestock in Saudi Arabia. The workers and the livestock cannot cross into Qatar because of the recent cut of ties. The Chairman of NHRC believes it to be a violation of fundamental human rights.
NHRC Delegation to Tour Europe
Besides Swiss lawyers pursuing the case, an NHRC delegation will also go on a European tour on Thursday. The delegation will go to France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden, and Netherlands. The delegation aims to make the human rights organizations aware of the situation. NHRC officials will elaborate the consequences of this siege upon Qatar’s economy.
NHRC International Conference and Meetings So Far
The NHRC also plans to hold an international conference on 24th and 25th July. The conference will discuss managing of risks to the right of accessing information, protecting journalists, and freedom of speech. The Chairman of NHRC also met the UN High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva. The Chairman gave evidence of the impact of blockage on Qatar.
The NHRC delegation already met with special rapporteur to explain blockade’s effects on Qatari citizens. The Chairman had a meeting with the UNESCO officials in Paris, where he explained how the blockade violated the rights of the Qatari citizens to acquire education in neighboring countries.
Qatar is considered one of the richest countries in the world. However, it heavily imports food items from other nations. The country had to important $1 billion worth of food items back in 2015. Estimates suggest one-third of food items come to Qatar from UAE and Saudi Arabia. Therefore, food security is one of the leading causes of concern. Similarly, some experts suggest that the blockade may impact the Football World Cup that Qatar plans to host in 2022.
The United States Urges for Restraint
The US Secretary of State has requested all the parties to show restraint. He stated that negotiations are underway to resolve this problem. Rex Tillerson met Qatari Foreign Minister and Kuwaiti Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs. A joint statement said that all participants in the meeting advocated the need to exercise restraint.
Qatari Foreign Minister termed the terrorism allegations against his country as baseless. He further stated that he agrees with the US to try and achieve a rational solution.
Earlier Saudi Arabia had given Qatar a list of 13 demands to meet within ten days. Qatar has already termed those demands as unacceptable.
Here is a highlight of some of the main demands.
- To reduce and scale back the level of cooperation with Iran.
- Remove the Turkish troops from Qatar.
- End contacts with groups like Muslim Brotherhood.
- Stop broadcasting of the Al Jazeera television.
- To regularly submit external compliance checks on a monthly basis.
