The detention of Qatari national Nawaf Talal Rashid highlights continued human rights violations by Saudi Arabian authorities, according to the National Committee for Human Rights in Qatar (NCHR).
Rashid’s case is an example of how Saudi Arabia has used false pretexts to arbitrarily detain Qatari nationals, a statement by the committee said on Sunday.
“The National Human Rights Committee of Qatar has received a complaint from the family of Qatari national Nawaf Talal Al-Rasheed about his arbitrary arrest by the Saudi authorities without any formal charges being directed at him or legal justification made for his arrest,” the statement read.
No formal charges have been made against Rashid, the NCHR added.
His family has expressed deep concern over their lack of knowledge with regards to his whereabouts and enforced disappearance, as well as their being denied contact with him,” the committee added.
According to the complaint, Rashid’s family was in touch with him when he was in Kuwait.
Talking to Al Jazeera, the NCHR said Rashid was later handed over to Saudi Arabianauthorities by Kuwait, and his current whereabouts are unknown.
The NCHR said Rashid’s case is part of “part of the ongoing fabrication of claims and unjust pretexts used for the arbitrarily detention of Qatari citizens. These violations go against all international human rights principles.”
The committee said it holds the Saudi government responsible for Rashid’s well-being.
NCHR has also called on other human rights organisations to help his family establish contact and ensure his release from Saudi detainment.
The committee has condemned several arrests made by countries taking part in the blockade of Qatar.
On 2 May, NCHR flagged the arrest without charges of Mohsen Saleh Saadoun al-Karbi, a Qatari citizen, at Yemen’s Shahn border on April 21, during his visit to family.
Next month it will be exactly one year since Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Egypt imposed a blockade on Qatar for allegedly supporting “terrorism”.
Qatar has always denied all charges brought against it and has called repeatedly on the countries to end the blockade.
Source: Al jazeera News
