The Cabinet yesterday decided to take steps to issue a draft decree, amending some provisions of the Decree Law No 17/2010 to equip the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) with full independence in the exercise of its activities. Law No 17 of the year 2010 deals with the organisation of the NHRC.
As a result of the amendment, NHRC members shall not face criminal or disciplinary charges for the opinions or statements that they present before the committee and its subcommittees.
“Except in cases of flagrante delicto, it is not permissible to enter the committee headquarters, subsidiaries or offices or inspect any of them, except in the presence of an advocate general and based on an order by the competent judge,” according to the official Qatar News Agency (QNA). “In flagrante” is a Latin legal term used to indicate that a person has been caught in the act of committing an offence.
In October last year , the Cabinet had approved the draft law that gave the National Human Rights Committee “full independence” in exercising its mandate. One of the major provisions in the draft law had bestowed special privileges on the committee members making them immune from legal action for views expressed by them.
l Films, artistic works and equipment and devices for cinemas should not be imported to Qatar without the approval of the Press and Publications Department at the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, another draft law approved by the Cabinet yesterday said.
The draft law includes special stipulations for getting a licence to practice the activity of “movies’ display, its duration, fees and renewal”.
