Abdullah Al-Maliki at the Annual Meeting of IGFM (German Sections of the ISHR) on 23.04.2023

Qatar to Enforce Human Rights

At the annual meeting of the International Society for Human Rights (ISHR), Qatari civil rights activist Abdullah Al-Maliki called on the government of Qatar to respect human rights. In the absolute monarchy, laws are made solely by the ruler. These laws violate international human rights standards and the pluralistic reality of the country, where 85 percent of residents are not Qatari nationals. Freedom of expression, criticism of the leadership and its violations of human rights, and peaceful assemblies are punishable by life imprisonment and even the death penalty.

Abdullah Al-Maliki is also suspected of being involved in a coup because of his commitment to the rule of law. The public prosecutor’s office requested the death penalty for him by shooting or hanging. Civil rights activists opposed to arbitrary travel bans, corruption, censorship, oppression of women and racism have been sentenced to life imprisonment, including Qatari lawyer Rashid Al-Mirri, who criticized state broadcaster Al-Jazeera.

Al-Maliki gave another example:

“Human rights activist and Qatari citizen Abdullah Ahmed Al-Mohannadi has been held in solitary confinement without a trial for eight months for his criticism of the government and his communications with international human rights organizations.”

The government used the hosting of the soccer World Cup in Qatar last year to polish its image in the world.

German version is availble at https://www.igfm.de/katar-forderung-der-menschenrechte/