Sulaiti’s forced disappearance: Human rights organization reveals Qatari violations

Ali Ragab

Exposing the human rights violations of the Qatari regime, the Maat Foundation for Peace, Development and Human Rights condemned the Qatari authorities’ arrest and forcible disappearance of Mohammed Yusuf al-Sulaiti for exercising his right to express his objection to the decision preventing him from traveling. The State Security Bureau arrested Sulaiti from his home, and he is still under incommunicado detention, while his Twitter account was deleted.

Mohammed al-Sulaiti is a Qatari citizen who has resided with his family in the United States since 2015, and he runs two commercial establishments. The Qatari authorities had arrested Sulaiti before that, specifically on July 17, 2018, when he was on his way to Turkey. During his trip, he stopped at Hamad International Airport, where he was detained by Qatari authorities, specifically the State Security Bureau, without giving any reasons.

Sulaiti was arbitrarily detained for more than five months until December 22, 2018, and he spent that period between the State Security Bureau prison in the Fereej Bin Omran area and a prison in the industrial zone in Doha. During this period he was prevented from communicating with his lawyer or any individual from his family. After much pressure and suffering that Sulaiti faced, he was finally allowed to communicate with his lawyer and to see his mother only once. After his release, he was surprised by a decision by the Public Prosecution banning him from traveling, before he was arrested again the other day and forcibly disappeared.

Meanwhile, Maat Foundation President Ayman Aqeel criticized the dangerous and vulgar approach that the Qatari authorities are taking against its citizens, using local laws that restrict basic freedoms and that contradict international charters and agreements signed by Qatar, especially Law No. 5 of 2003 amending the establishment of the State Security Bureau.

Aqeel added that the Qatari authorities did not inform the Sulaiti family of any details, nor did they allow them to communicate with him. He called on the Qatari authorities to immediately guarantee his full rights and release him, as well as to bear full responsibility if anything happened to him. Aqeel also demanded that Sulaiti not be subjected to torture or any harsh treatment.