Qatar Urges UN to Stop Saudi-Led Blockade

"I call upon the Human Rights Council and all its mechanism bodies to take up their responsibilities and stop the unilateral measures taken by some states against the population of Qatar, and put an end to this racist course of action," Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said.
 
"Victims must be compensated and perpetrators be held accountable," he added.
 
Sheikh Mohammed made his remarks during the 37th regular session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, where he spoke about the Persian Gulf crisis.
 
The dispute in the Persian Gulf began in June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea and air blockade, after accusing Doha of supporting "terrorism". Qatar continues to vehemently reject the allegations as "baseless".
 
On June 22, the block, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, issued a 13-point list of demands, including the shutdown of Al Jazeera TV, limiting ties with Iran, and expelling Turkish troops stationed in the country as a prerequisite to lifting the blockade.
 
Qatar rejected all the demands, denouncing them as attempts to violate its sovereignty.
 
A November 2017 UNHCR investigation into the effects of the blockade concluded it has caused serious violations of human rights.
 
Referring to the report, Sheikh Mohammed said the position of the countries imposing the blockade is not compatible with their presence in the Human Rights Council.
 
"There is serious contradiction between the position and conviction of these countries and their presence in the HRC. Their presence will eventually damage the council's reputation," the foreign minister said.