People’s Lawyers write
FIFA awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar in 2010 regardless of the poor human rights conditions in the country. Besides migrant workers, women, people from the LGBTI+ community and journalists, lawyers are also subject of human rights violations in the country. As the international community gets ready to celebrate the world’s biggest sporting event in Qatar, Qatari lawyers Hazza bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri and Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri remain in prison, serving a life-sentence since 10 May 2022.
Avocats en danger | Hazza et Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri, avocats qatariens ?? condamnés à la réclusion à perpétuité
En savoir plus et les soutenir >>https://t.co/GIbk6cuDbT pic.twitter.com/OnRVUN5NJE— AVOCATS.BE (@oBarreaux) June 13, 2022
In 2021, lawyer Hazza bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri took part in the widescale peaceful protests against a controversial election law, which excluded among others, al-Murra tribe members from the Shura Council, Qatar’s legislative body. As a result of taking part in the protests and his prominent role in sharing his opinions on the state of affairs in Qatar on his Twitter account, Mr. al-Marri was arrested in August 2021 at his home by the Criminal Investigation Department.
Subsequently, Hazza bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri’s brother, Rashed bin Ali Abu Shurayda al-Marri visited the Public Prosecution offices to enquire about the reasons for this arrest and to request access to act as his brother’s legal representative. He too was detained immediately.
Not only the right to freedom of expression as stipulated in article 23 of the UN Basic Principles on the Role of Lawyers has been repeatedly violated, also the right to fair trial has not been upheld in Qatar. Both lawyers stood trial for the first time on 26 January 2022, in which a number of minimum fair trial guarantees and legal procedures were violated: the judge appointed a defence lawyer for the defendants, leaving them without the opportunity to appoint a lawyer of their own choosing, and their first two hearings took place behind closed doors.
On 10 May 2022, the Second Circuit Criminal issued a life sentence against both lawyers.
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https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/two-qatari-lawyers-arbitrarily-detained (TAKE ACTION!)
http://menarights.org/en/articles/joint-statement-qatari-lawyers-sentenced-life-imprisonment
https://www.uianet.org/en/actions/joint-statement-qatari-lawyers-sentenced-life-imprisonment
https://www.gc4hr.org/news/view/3012
https://www.pressreleasepoint.com/gulf-dont-believe-hype-gcc-states-are-repressive-theyve-ever-been
https://latribune.avocats.be/fr/hazza-et-rashed-bin-ali-abu-shurayda-al-marri (FRANCAIS)
http://ai405.free.fr/actions_urgentes/index.htm
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