It has been almost four months since the start of the illegal siege of Qatar and blockading countries have been unable to provide solid proof of any wrongdoing on Qatar’s part.

Qatar’s Attorney General HE Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri recently reiterated the stand while addressing a high-level meeting held by the Permanent Mission of Qatar to the United Nations in New York on the sidelines of the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly.

“Any claim that Qatar interferes in the internal affairs of its neighbours requires proofs that are consistent with facts”, the top Qatari official was quoted as saying by Gulf Times.

He said that unilateral sanctions imposed by the siege countries on Qatar were serious violations of international law because they were not evidence-based and not legally acceptable.

“The international law demands that, prior to the imposition of any countermeasures, countries accused of committing irregularities be granted enough time and opportunity to defend their position, and this was ignored blatantly and recklessly by the siege countries on June 5,” he said.
“The State of Qatar is determined to settle the dispute on the basis of international law. Qatar is committed to the settlement of disputes by peaceful means. The repeated call by Qatar for co-operation to engage in genuine dialogue either through the traditional framework of the Gulf Co-operation Council or through other mutually accepted mediators is yet to elicit any positive response from the siege countries,” he added.

David Scheffer, a former ambassador of the US, called for the inclusion of piracy and cyberattacks in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as one of the crimes that violate human rights and the Charter of the United Nations. 

“We must not ignore the fact that the economic blockade on Qatar happened following a cyberattack and piracy.”