Arab Federation for Human Rights slams Qatar’s ‘blockade’ label

A general view of the Qatari side of the Abu Samrah border crossing with Saudi Arabia on June 23, 2017. (AFP / KARIM JAAFAR)

GENEVA: The Arab Federation for Human Rights has condemned the Qatari government for labeling the boycott imposed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt a “blockade.”
In a report, the federation disclosed that under international law, a blockade is defined as a coercive measure imposed with military force, while a boycott is a withdrawal of diplomatic and economic relations by a state or group of states with another state.
A boycott is the sovereign right of all countries to establish or sever diplomatic ties with another country in case the latter seeks to stir unrest and insecurity among the international community.
The EU has refused to describe the current measures taken as a blockade and continues to demand that Qatar commits itself to combating terrorism. The Russian government has also adopted the same position.
The report pointed out that a senior official at the US Treasury Department, Adam Zubin, stated: “Qatar has shown a lack of political will to implement anti-terrorist financing laws effectively.”