DOHA: Qatar’s government has asked the Public Prosecution to investigate the allegations levelled by The Guardian newspaper about the abuse of Nepalese workers.
Since the Public Prosecution is an independent judicial authority, the Qatari government wants to know how far those accusations are true, said the Attorney-General.
“That’s basically the reason why the government has asked the Public Prosecution to conduct an investigation,” Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri (pictured) told Al Jazeera Arabic Channel yesterday.
The accusations carried a Guardian report have been referred to the Public Prosecution by the Prime Minister and Interior Minister, H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani, for investigation, Al Marri said.
He told Al Jazeera’s popular programme Al Umaq (In-Depth) that the Prosecution had begun investigation and its outcome would be announced as soon as the probe was over.
The Attorney-General said if investigations show that the allegations are false, legal action will be taken against reporters and publishers.
“Qatar is under attack by the media simply because it has won the coveted 2022 World Cup bid,” he said. Al Marri told Al Jazeera that in more than 3,000 court cases filed by workers in the country, the rulings have been against the employers who included companies and individuals.
Regarding the young British woman teacher who was found dead last month, he said authorities at the Ministry of Interior caught the culprit in less than 24 hours.
Investigations in the matter are still going on, said the Attorney-General who heads the Public Prosecution.
Talking about the convicted poet Mohamed Zaib, he said he had committed a crime which was punishable under the law. He insulted the Emir in person and incited overthrow of the regime which is a crime under Qatari law.
“I am not satisfied with the Appeals Court’s decision reducing his life sentence to 15 years in jail. There was no legal justification for that,” said Al Marri.
He said the arrest and conviction of Zaib was a legal and not a political issue. “It has nothing to do with Arab Spring. He (Zaib) has admitted that and his statement to that effect is recorded,” said the Attorney-General.
The Peninsula
