Talking to Al Sharq during a visit to Cairo, Al Merri said, Qatar has seen major developments on the human rights front recently in the form of a series of new laws and establishment of organisations like NHRC, the National Office for combating human trafficking and the human rights department at the Ministry of Interior.
He said, the law No 11 has made it compulsory for all government and private bodies in the country to co-operate with NHRC in imparting its duties.
“Qatar’s wise leadership has been responding positively to the demands and recommendations put forward by NHRC. We are submitting our reports to the Cabinet every three months, and actions are being taken on issues raised in these reports. For instance, we presented our views on the system of sponsorship and exit permit in the country. Now a new law is being made in the light of our recommendations," Al Merri said.
In reply to question about the democratic process in Qatar, Al Merri said, democracy in Qatar is not imposed from outside, but it has been evolving from inside.
“The democratic process in the region has come in two ways- through outside pressure or through the intervention of civil society organizations inside the countries. In Qatar, the democratic process started from inside. The international intervention was the result of the 9/11 attacks. In Qatar, the process started in 1995, much before the 2001 bombing in the US," said Al Merri.
He said NHRC has been following the Islamic principles regarding human rights, as well as the relevant regional and international conventions. It has been closely coordinating with other human rights bodies in the region.
He added that violation of human rights is not peculiar to the region, but are seen in every country in various degrees, including the US, which is described as the largest democratic country in the world.
