A/HRC/44/44/Add.2
involved in any activity of a political nature that include insulting his home country,
whatever the form or pattern of that activity.
It is useful to point out in the same context that the right to freedom of expression is not an
absolute right. The international law and many national constitutions recognize that it is
acceptable to impose limited restrictions on this right, to ensure the private interests of
individuals or supreme and vital interests of the state. Based on this, countries resort to
control this right in a manner that does not contradict the spirit and essence of the right to
freedom of expression.
Article No. (9) of the law also stipulates a set of rights and privileges that a political refugee
enjoys in the State of Qatar, including freedom of worship and practice of religious rites,
and the right to litigation.
It is worth noting that the definition of refugee in Law No. (11) of 2018 regulating political
asylum is in line with its counterpart in the The UN Convention Relating to the Status
of Refugees, which means that the definition of refugee is the same in both the law and the
convention.
Fifth: Future visions
The issue of the promotion and protection of human rights is a strategic choice for the state,
as it forms the backbone of the comprehensive reform policy (constitutional, economic,
social and cultural) pursued by the state. This was confirmed in the comprehensive vision
for development (Qatar National Vision 2030), which was adopted by the Amiri Decree
No. (44) for 2008, which includes important themes that touch the main issues of human
rights in the fields of education, the environment, the rights of expatriates and the
empowerment of women, in addition to reaffirming the state’s commitments outlined in the
state’s permanent constitution to respect and honor all its international obligations,
including those related to human rights.
As a result of the State of Qatar's recent accession to the two international covenants on
human rights, a committee was formed to study the legislations in force in the State of
Qatar and its suitability with the provisions and terms of the International Covenant on
Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural
Rights, in accordance with the decision of Council of Ministers issued in its regular meeting
No. (27) for the year 2018, held on 10/10/2018, chaired by His Excellency the Secretary
General of the Council of Ministers with representative memberships of each of the
following bodies: the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Interior, the General
Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, the Advisory Council, the Ministry of Justice, the
Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of
Economy and Commerce, the Public Prosecution, Human Rights National Committee,
Qatar Social Work Foundation. The term of the committee is a renewable one year, and it
started its meetings with identifying the Qatari laws and legislations that may contradict the
provisions of the two abovementioned international conventions, so that the members of the
committee can discuss these laws and legislations, show their opinions on them and
propose appropriate actions thereon. The committee is still in the process of collecting and
completing data from various authorities in the country.
The State of Qatar is also currently preparing a national plan of action for human rights
based on the decision of the council of ministers in its regular meeting No. (19) for 2014,
according to which a government national committee was formed to prepare a national
human rights plan of action headed by His Excellency the Secretary General of the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs with several memberships from other government stakeholders. The
development of the National Human Rights Plan of Action is a clear and practical step to
promote and protect human rights as it is seen to represent an instrument to improve human
rights situation in the country.
In conclusion, the State of Qatar reiterates its thanks to the independent expert for the
visit and renews its commitment to cooperate with him within the framework of his
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