Qatar slammed for forcibly deporting Yemeni woman to Djibouti

Human rights activists slammed Qatar on Thursday for
deporting a Yemeni woman and her child to Djibouti, from where they could be
returned to Yemen.
The woman, who goes by the name of Hayat, appealed
in a video posted online this week for the international community to stop help
authorities in Djibouti from sending her and her child to Yemen because of the
danger she faces.
Hayat, who was married to a Qatari national and
lived in Doha, accused the Qatari government of “kidnapping her”.
She said her family in Yemen see her divorce as
"shameful" and have threatened to kill her if she returns home.
The reason for her deportation is not known but
Hayat claimed in the video that her former husband had attempted to revoke her
Qatari residency to get custody of their son.
This issue is a grave violation of human, women and
children’s rights, especially that authorities tried to take her son away from
her and this is why she was deported in the first place,” Salah bin Laghbar,
head of the civil network Foundation for Human Rights and Freedoms, told The
National.
"We are attempting to get through to security
officials to ensure that she can be returned safely to her home in Qatar,"
Mr Laghbar said.
"Qatar announced last year that it will open
its doors to the migrants and refugees," he said.
"But in reality we didn't see any developments
and this is a grave violation of the refugee protection convention that was
signed by Qatar."
Activists say Hayat's life would be at risk if she
is sent back to Yemen.
Anees Al Shareek, the head of the Rasd Coalition
that monitors human rights violations in Yemen, said he would hold the Yemeni
ambassador in Djibouti "fully responsible in the event that Hayat and her
son are deported to Yemen”.
“We call on the Djibouti authorities to block her
deportation to Yemen. We urge civil society and human rights groups and the UN
High Commission for Human Rights to intervene and save their lives,” Mr Al
Shareek told The National.
“Hayat and her son are in danger after the Qatari
authorities deported them to Djibouti by force to be deported to Yemen,” Mr Al
Shareek said.
here has been no comment on the case from the Qatari
authorities.