A/HRC/44/57/Add.33
The State of Qatar has taken a number of measures in this regard, including the signing of
bilateral and multilateral extradition agreements, noting that the Contact Section of the Arab
and International Police in the Department of International Cooperation at the Ministry of
Interior is committed to observing the application of the principle of non-refoulement which
is guaranteed constitutionally and legally within its procedures referred to previously to
implement the agreements on the extradition of criminals, especially that the procedures
followed in cases of deportation include giving the deportees the freedom to choose the
destinations to which they wish to be deported, even if these destinations are not the countries
of their nationalities.
In implementation of the provisions of Article (58) of the permanent Constitution of the State
of Qatar, which guarantees the right to political asylum, the State of Qatar issued Law No
(11) for 2018 on granting the right to political asylum in its territory, and the decision of the
Council of Ministers No (12) for 2019 specifying the categories to be granted political
asylum, including (human rights activists, reporters and representatives of audio-visual and
written media, members of political parties, religious denominations and ethnic minorities,
writers and researchers) who can be subjected to prosecution or persecution because of these
affiliations.
Based on the asylum seekers’ own personal safety, Article (10) provides that competent
authorities may specify the place of residence of the political refugee, in order to preserve
their security and safety.
The political asylum is granted to the asylum seeker on the principle that granting this right
is not an act of hostility against the State to which political refugee belongs by nationality or
which was his/her place habitual residence. The implementation of this principle is
attributable to the keenness of the State of Qatar that the refugee is not involved in any activity
of political nature that includes insulting his home country, whatever the form or pattern of
that activity might be.
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 respective state. Based on this, countries
resort to control this right in a manner that does not run counter to 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
can enjoy 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) for 2018 regulating political
asylum is compatible with its counterpart in the UN Convention Relating to the Status
of Refugees, which means that the definition of refugee is the same in both the abovementioned law and the convention.
D.
Undocumented foreign nationals
Para 59: Law No (21) for 2015, regulating the entry, exit and residence of expatriates has
identified the legal way to enter and reside in the State according to objective rules that are
clear to all, which contributes to maintaining the general order for citizens and residents alike,
in such a way as to allow them to enjoy the full rights guaranteed by the law .
In addition, the law regulating entry and exit of expatriates obliges the applicant in its Articles
from (8) to (10) to complete the procedures for licensing and renewing residence permits.
The law also allows the competent authority in the Ministry of Interior to authorize the
applicant or the expatriate to be represented by those whom they choose to carry out the
above-mentioned procedures.
Accordingly, in the event of failure by the applicant to renew the expatriate documents, the
latter is allowed to resort to the remedies provided by the Ministry of Interior represented by
the Research and Follow-up Department, the General Passport Department and the Human
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