*Action confirms absence of a safe legislative environment for investors in UAE
*Violations have directly affected the social fabric of the GCC countries
*Violations have directly affected the social fabric of the GCC countries
Chairman of the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) Dr Ali bin Smaikh al-Marri has said that the UAE has committed 320 violations with regard to the right to property since the beginning of the siege on Qatar.
Al-Marri said the large number of violations against Qatari owners of properties and companies in the siege countries, especially the UAE, confirms the absence of a safe legislative environment for investors.
He was speaking during a symposium organised by the Oxford Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Forum at the British Parliament in London. It was attended by diplomats, members of the UK House of Lords, representatives of think tanks, media professionals and academics.
Al-Marri said that no country has the right to threaten the interests of individuals, close down companies, confiscate properties, prevent money transfers and lay off workers or commit other violations on the grounds of political differences.
He said Saudi violations of the right to property were more than that committed by the UAE in terms of the number of complaints which was 596 - most were related to the livestock of Qatari citizens in Saudi Arabia.
But in the UAE, which is positioning itself as the first investment destination in the region, violations of rights to property were horrendous, which has shaken corporate confidence in its investment environment, he added.
The NHRC chief also referred to the suffering of families separated as a consequence of the crisis, and its reflection on the rights of children and women.
The latest statistics of the NHRC revealed that 318 violations were committed by Saudi Arabia, while Bahrain committed 195 violations, and the UAE 63 in this aspect.
He said the violations that affected the common families were the most serious since the beginning of the siege, as they have directly affected the social fabric of the Gulf Co-operation Council countries where lineages are highly intertwined.
This has negatively affected the rights of women and children and has caused severe psychological suffering that is difficult to treat in the short term.
The NHRC chairman stressed that Qatar's siege is a collective punishment of Gulf peoples and targets the prevalent social values in the region.
He noted that the siege countries have imposed these sanctions and threatened more as they escalate the crisis, adding that it constitutes a clear violation of human rights and further violations of international conventions and treaties.
Al-Marri called on human rights committees in the United Kingdom to help in pointing out the violations of the siege countries at all international platforms, notably the Human Rights Council.
The NHRC chairman highlighted the situation of workers in Qatar who were affected by the siege, particularly those who are GCC citizens and were forced to leave their jobs in Doha, in addition to 850 workers who are employees of Qatari nationals in Saudi Arabia.
Al-Marri also discussed the suffering of students who were expelled from universities and were not allowed to sit their exams in a clear violation of university accreditation law.
According to NHRC statistics, Saudi Arabia violated the right to education 48 times, the UAE 120 times and Bahrain 27 times, he said.
Saudi Arabia, he said, violated the right to practise religious rituals as the crisis coincided with the beginning of Ramadan and continued until the Haj season, noting that these violations stood at 144, affecting citizens and residents.
The NHRC chairman said this is an "extremely sensitive" issue that prompted the committee to ask international organisations to look into the violations of the right to religion and faith.
He stressed that the NHRC will continue with its regional and international efforts to end the harm and unfairness that affected Qatari citizens and all others.
He added that the committee will continue to follow up on the immediate and future consequences of these violations.
