Qatar’s Attorney General HE Dr Ali bin Fetais al-Marri has urged the international community to ban information obtained through piracy, and prevent it from having any legal value or being used as a basis for evidence.

“The concerned or affected States should consult in a mutual manner and negotiate issues arising from such piracy before deciding on any further steps in accordance with international law,” he suggested.
HE Dr al-Marri was addressing a high-level meeting, held by the Permanent Mission of the State of Qatar to the United Nations in New York on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.
The meeting, organised under the title "from cyberattack to illegal measures: the blockade against the State of Qatar", coincided with more than three months after the Gulf crisis started, and highlighted the impact of the crisis and its multifaceted repercussions on the countries concerned, the region and the world.
The first session, moderated by HE the Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy for Combating Terrorism Dr Mutlaq bin Majid al-Qahtani, reviewed the events that affected the State of Qatar since the cyberattack on Qatar News Agency on May 24 and the publication of false statements attributed to His Highness the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.
In his speech, HE the Attorney General said that cyberattacks and piracy are big and dangerous crimes that threaten international peace and security, stressing that false news as well as piracy for political purposes should not be left to technical experts who deal with information technology.
He pointed out that the issue is of great concern to the international community, stressing that States should deal with this phenomenon and should resort to taking measures not only to ban and punish organisations and individuals involved in piracy for political or personal gain but also to treat them as the main source of threat to international peace and security.
HE Dr al-Marri referred to the crisis created by the siege countries on June 5, 2017 when they announced their unprecedented measures to attack the sovereignty and independence of the State of Qatar with a view to strangling it economically and politically based on misleading grounds.
"This was a turning point in the events we, in Qatar, did not expect it, but we were able to deal with it and overcome the obstacles created by these sudden actions to ensure the continuity of normal daily life," he said.
HE the Attorney General added that it is certain that no member of the United Nations has expected what has happened. Such issues, if found, should have been dealt with at the bilateral level or at the very least through the GCC, namely at the regional level.
HE Dr al-Marri pointed to illegal measures imposed by the siege countries, which included the complete closure of the only land border between Qatar and Saudi Arabia, the only international trade route used by Qatar for a long time.
He drew attention to the orders issued by the siege countries to expel Qatari citizens residing legally in the territories of the three countries, forcing them to return to Qatar and leave their businesses and homes and abandon their livestock and other assets. Qatar Airways was also severely restricted and denied access to their airspaces including the normal right to transit, which is an indisputable right under international law, he added.
HE the Attorney General also warned against the continuation of this crisis, which he described as serious, stressing that this crisis would affect the Gulf region.

Related Story