DOHA: Qatar on Monday said it brought a case against the United ArabEmirates (UAE) at the UN’s top court, accusing its Gulf rival of humanrights “violations” and “discrimination”.
Last year on June 5, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt abruptlysevered ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and Iran. Dohadenies the claims.
They also took several measures, including barring the state-owned airlinefrom using their airspace and expelling Qatari residents from theirterritories. Saudi Arabia closed its land border with Qatar.
On Monday, the Qatari foreign ministry denounced “human rights violationsarising from the UAE’s discrimination against Qatar and Qatari citizens”.
It also condemned “an unlawful land, sea and air siege against Qatar aspart of a campaign of political and economic coercion”.
“The unlawful measures imposed by UAE have torn apart families,” theministry said in a statement quoting Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed binAbdulrahman al Thani.
“The UAE deprived Qatari companies and individuals of property and assetsand denied fundamental access to education, medicine and justice in the UAEcourts,” he added.
Because of this, the ministry aid, Qatar had started proceedings againstthe UAE at the Hague-based International Court of Justice, the UN’s topcourt which rules in disputes between countries.
Qatar requested that the ICJ “order the UAE to take all steps necessary tocomply with its (international) obligations including by ceasing andrevoking the discriminatory measures and by restoring the rights ofQataris”.
Doha cited the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms ofRacial Discrimination (CERD), which it and the UAE have both signed.
Qatar is also demanding “full reparation, including compensation, for theharm suffered as a result of the UAE’s violations of CERD”, the statementadded.
On the eve of the June 5 anniversary of the dispute, Qatar’s National HumanRights Committee released a report claiming more than 4,000 human rightsabuses had been committed against Qataris by the Saudi-led alliance in thepast year.
Qataris have been exposed to arbitrary arrest and routinely denied freedomof movement, the report by the government-appointed body said.
Diplomatic efforts led by Kuwait and the United States to defuse theyear-long crisis have failed.
Qatar has said that the dispute is an attack on its sovereignty andpunishment for pursuing an independent foreign policy. – APP/AFP