Amnesty International has voiced concerns towards the Government of Qatar on the ban, calling for immediate withdrawal of the ban. Dr Najeeb Al-Nuami has claimed he did not receive any formal reasoning for his inclusion in the travel ban from the government.
The former minister, has alleged that he received a text message on the 8th of January from the office of the Public Prosecutor, which stated he was put on a no-fly list, with the SMS referring him to inquire towards the office for further information.
Dr Al-Nuaimi has written twice to the office of Qatar’s Attorney General, Dr Ali Bin Fetais al-Marri, who approves the country’s no-fly list, in order to seek clarification, but has received no reply.
Amnesty International has voiced further concern that the ban placed on Dr Najeeb al-Nuami, is politically motived and relates to opinions peacefully expressed by the lawyer, including on social media, many of which have been increasingly critical towards the government in the past year.
Dr. Al-Nuaimi is a prominent lawyer, taking up cases around the Middle East, sometimes in contention with the Qatari government. He has worked in cases involving migrant workers’ rights, & was one of the legal team that represented former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.
He has also represented a controversial Qatari poet, Mohammed Al-‘Ajmi, who was sentenced by the government to 15 years of imprisonment due to his writing & reciting poems that were deemed offensive to the Emir of Qatar. He was released on 15 March 2016 under an unconditional pardon granted by the Emir. Dr Najeeb al-Nuaimi was publically critical of the trial process during the time.
No news has been received on the progress of Dr Al-Nuaimi’s ban since the 9th of February in which only a telephone confirmation from the government of his ban was received.
