Saudi National Society for Human Rights condemns insult of Qatari citizen

The National Society for Human Rights in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expressed its condemnation of the flagrant violation of the human rights, beating, degradation and humiliation of Qatari citizen Hamad Abdul Hadi Al Marri after returning from Hajj and leaving the Kingdom to Qatar with filming the acts and promoting and disseminating them among all people as these individual and collective acts are all crimes against human rights principles.

The Society said in a statement that it had followed the case of Hamad Al Marri since the broadcasting of the insulting video and verified that the person appearing in the video is the Qatari citizen Hamad Abdul Hadi Saleh Al Marri, who completed Hajj under the programme of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and left the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia safe and well in 15/12/1438 H. He entered the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through the Salwa border crossing which was opened exceptionally for the reception of the Qatari pilgrims. His entry was on 2/12/1438 H. according to passport number (01332918).

"The representatives of the society tried to reach the victim Hamad al-Marri to check on him, but this was impossible because of the closure of all means of communication with him, or the possibility of locating,''the society added in the statement carried by Saudi Press Agency.

''We call on the National Human Rights Committee of the State of Qatar and all international human rights organisations to do their duty to ensure the disclosure of the fate of this Qatari citizen and to protect him from the attacks and violations that have been committed against him, and to ensure his safety and not being subjected to pressure imposed by certain political dictates because of his right to perform Hajj and his right to freedom of expression and to ensure that all those who exploited their political power, abuse and torture are prosecuted. We also call on all institutions in Qatar to work hard to protect Hamad al-Marri and prosecute those who assaulted him regardless of their positions and forced him to film after entering the Qatari territory, and to facilitate his return to his home and his family and his right to travel and freedom of expression and the enjoyment of all natural guarantees and rights guaranteed by international treaties and human rights conventions.

The society calls upon the Government of Qatar to promptly declare its innocence of this crime, identify and punish the aggressors, and grant the victim Hamad Al Marri all fair compensations and allow him unrestricted freedom of movement and travel.

Based on the available data, it has been found that the attack on the Qatari citizen Hamad Al-Marri was directly related to his appearance in the media, including the Saudi news channel from the holy places, contrary to the official speech of his country's authorities, which denies the existence of Qatari pilgrims, and his appreciation for the services received by his fellow pilgrims and facilitating their affairs, which is contrary to the official speech of the State of Qatar.

The National Society for Human Rights asserts that it will provide international human rights organisations with a list of Qataris who have come to Hajj to follow up on their situation and ensure their safety. They also call on their Qatari counterparts: the National Human Rights Commission and all human rights associations, organisations and committees in the world to shoulder their legal and moral responsibilities towards all of them and work to facilitate the procedures of the visit and continuous communication with them by human rights organizations and the media to check on them and their situation. The society also confirms that it visited the Qatari pilgrims in their headquarters in the holy sites and confirmed their enjoyment of all their rights, which ensured the performance of their rituals with ease.