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Human Rights in Qatar

Date:
Location:
2456 Rayburn House Office Building

Announcement

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for a briefing on the human rights situation in the Persian Gulf state of Qatar. 

Qatar became independent in 1971. The country is led by a hereditary Amir, Shaykh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who assumed his position in June 2013 when his father relinquished power voluntarily. Most Qataris adhere to Wahhabism, the same Islamic tradition as Saudi Arabia. 

Although Qatar is one of the six member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), it has implemented policies in the region that differ from its partners, leading to conflict with Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the GCC alliance. The differences erupted into a crisis on June 5, 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain, joined by Egypt and a few other governments, severed relations with Qatar and imposed limits on the entry and transit of Qatari nationals and vessels in their territories, waters, and airspace, thus sealing off the peninsula’s only land border and most sea traffic. The rupture has persisted in spite of the efforts of the U.S. and some other countries to mediate the dispute.

In this context, Qatar’s human rights situation has emerged as a point of discussion. This briefing will discuss the regional context, review ongoing human rights concerns, examine the human rights impact of the measures imposed by the GCC, and offer recommendations for the U.S. government.

This briefing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. For any questions, please contact Kimberly Stanton (for Mr. McGovern) at 202-225-3599 or Kimberly.Stanton@mail.house.gov or Jamie Staley (for Mr. Hultgren) at 202-226-1516 or Jamie.Staley@mail.house.gov.

Hosted by:

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Randy Hultgren
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Witnesses

Panelists

  • Todd Ruffner, Advocacy Officer, Project on Middle East Democracy
    Written statement
  • Sarah Leah Whitson, Executive Director, Middle East and North Africa Division, Human Rights Watch
    Written statement
  • Raed Jarrar, Advocacy Director, Middle East and North Africa, Amnesty International USA
    Written statement

Moderator

  • Kenneth Katzman, Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs, Congressional Research Service

Bios

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
Fax: +1 (202) 226-6584
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

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