On the Sidelines of the 51st Session of the Human Rights Council, Maat discusses the Situation of Human Rights Defenders in the Middle East.. Maat discusses situations Human Rights Defenders in the Middle East

Okeil: The Human Rights Council places restrictions on the work of civil society organizations

Al-Malki: Human rights defenders in Qatar may pay with their lives for their peaceful activities

Ali Muhammed: An environment free of intimidation must be provided for human rights defenders to carry out their work

Maat for Peace, Development and Human Rights held a symposium on the sidelines of the 51st session of the Human Rights Council about "Human Rights Defenders in the Middle East". The symposium was attended by a number of human rights experts and defenders, including international human rights expert and president of Maat, Ayman Okeil, the Qatari human rights defender Abdullah Al-Malki, who leads advocacy campaigns for addressing the human rights situation in Qatar, and Olla Al-Sakkaf, President of Environment of Peace in Yemen, who gave an oral briefing during the event.

The symposium discussed the arbitrary practices and challenges facing human rights defenders in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian territories occupied by the Israeli occupation authorities, Qatar and Iran. Some speakers concluded that governments and non-state groups carry out acts of intimidation and harassment against civil society organizations. However, the United Nations Human Rights Council and its secretariat also restrict civil society participation, whether in Council meetings or when these organizations organize side events. The event also discussed the abusive practices facing women human rights defenders in conflict areas, the intersection between these practices, and the failure to implement the women, peace, and security agenda in the Middle East.

The speakers agreed that anyone can be a human rights defender by speaking up against the violations they witness. Continuing efforts to address the human rights situation and adopting a dialogue-based approach may reduce the gap between these defenders and their governments.

In his speech, Ayman Okeil said that states and the Human Rights Council put restrictions on the activities of human rights defenders and civil society, and continue to intimidate them and violate their right to privacy codified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. They are reducing the space available for civil society organizations to organize side events on the sidelines of the Council’s sessions and the Council’s disavowal of assistance from victims and human rights defenders seeking to go to Geneva to make their voices heard. Privacy codified in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is not practiced by states alone, but is also practiced by the Human Rights Council itself. From reducing the space for civil society organizations to organize side events on the sidelines of the council sessions, to the council's disavowal assistance to victims and human rights defenders seeking to go to Geneva to keep their voices alive.

Aqeel added that the Council seems to be forgetting day after day the content of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders that civil society and human rights defenders are the main pillar of the international human rights system, and stressed that the restrictions included the intransigence in postponing the granting of non-governmental organizations to consultative status in the Economic and Social Council. . Aqeel called for the necessity of facilitating the procedures for the participation of civil society in the sessions of the Human Rights Council and the organization of side events.

While Abdullah Al-Maliki stressed that the work of human rights defenders in the State of Qatar is still fraught with dangers, and these defenders may pay with their lives for their peaceful activities. He added that other arbitrary practices against human rights defenders in Qatar include; travel ban; restriction of the right to movement; and denying them the right to health care. Al-Maliki indicated on July 21, 2022, that the State Security Service in the State of Qatar detained three Qatari citizens who had called in recent years to lift the arbitrary travel ban issued against them by the State Security Service. The citizens are Sheikh Saud bin Khalifa Al Thani; Abdullah bin Ahmed Bu Matar Al Muhannadi; Issa bin Mardi Al-Shammari, and confirmed that despite the latter's release, he is still being harassed. Al-Maliki called for a boycott of the World Cup in Qatar, which begins on November 20, 2022.

Finally, Ola Al-Saqqaf emphasized that human rights defenders in conflict areas, especially in Yemen, are targeted by violators of these rights, and have always been considered As an enemy or an adversary, Al-Saqqaf explained that journalists in Yemen and other regions were subjected to murder, forced arrest, and torture, in addition to some of them being sentenced to death.

Al-Saqqaf added that women human rights defenders face more difficulties in practicing their work than their male counterparts, and that the pillar of protection in the women, peace and security agenda has not been fully implemented in the Middle East regions, especially in conflict countries. Al-Saqqaf called for continuing to work to defend human rights in order to promote peace in conflict areas.

For his part, Ali Muhammad, a researcher at the Maat Foundation, called for the necessity of putting pressure on the Qatari government before the start of the World Cup to release human rights defenders and provide an environment free of intimidation and intimidation to practice their work. And adhere to the principles of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and the two International Covenants on Human Rights ratified by the State of Qatar. In addition to the Human Rights Council's suspension of measures that reduce the space available for civil society organizations.