*Failed attempt to obstruct committee's work
The National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) has condemned the smear campaigns launched by officials from the United Arab Emirates aimed at the committee.
The NHRC said in a statement on Thursday that the vicious campaigns launched against it by the UAE were a failed attempt to obstruct the work of the committee, which was given status 'A' accreditation by the International Co-ordinating Committee of National Human Rights Institutions for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights (ICC), a representative body of national human rights institutions drawn from all regions of the world.
It stressed that these campaigns are part of bigger ones that the government of the UAE has striven to launch against protectors of human rights and international organisations such as the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch, among others.
It noted that the UAE had previously made a complaint against the committee to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI) to no avail, as these organisations stressed their support of the NHRC.
The committee also condemned the recent remarks of UAE's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, accusing the committee of forging documents and international reports.
The committee stressed that it has the right to take all legal measures in response to these lies, in addition to approaching the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.
The NHRC said that it was not surprised by these accusations, given that they came from an official who said that he views the diplomatic moves and the legal process as the logic of the weak.
The committee maintained that these options were the civilized ones taken by countries who respect international legitimacy, and the human rights system.
The National Human Rights Committee stressed that, despite all the failed attempts of the UAE, it will continue its work in line with the Paris Principles and the international human rights standards in order to expose the violations by the UAE of the human rights of citizens and residents of Qatar as well as GCC citizens, who suffered as a result of the unjust blockade imposed on Qatar.
The committee added that it will also continue its work of redressing and compensating the victims.
