Human rights defender receives travel ban

Association

#Qatar: Human rights lawyer Dr. Najeeb Al-Nuaimi protests travel ban imposed on him https://t.co/mpQ0JlXvgK "The Attorney General of Qatar issued a decree preventing me from leaving the country and then made a malicious complaint against me." @GulfCentre4HR pic.twitter.com/JUsuAwXGej

— IFEX (@IFEX) May 2, 2018

On 30th April April 2018, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights reported the imposition of a travel ban on human rights lawyer Dr. Najeeb Al-Nuaimi. According to the report, Dr Al-Nuaimi released a statement on 28th April 2018 explaining, 

"In order to obstruct me and cause an altercation, the Attorney General of Qatar issued a decree preventing me from leaving the country and then made a malicious complaint against me.”

Dr. Al-Nuaimi is a well-known human rights lawyer who voluntarily defended prisoners of conscience in Qatar including poet Mohamed Rashid Al-Ajami.

Qatar joins international treaties

In a welcome development, on 21st May 2018, Qatar joined two core UN human rights treaties: the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. However, it included reservations on women and the right to join trade unions, which will negatively impact freedom of association for migrant workers, who make up over 90 per cent of the Qatari workforce. According to Human Rights Watch, article 116 of Qatar’s Labour Law allows only Qatari nationals the right to form workers’ associations or trade unions. Migrant workers, who make up over 90 percent of the workforce, cannot exercise their rights to freedom of association and to form trade unions.