Hajj pilgrim attacked on his return to Qatar ‘had praised Saudi Arabia’

Human rights organisations have condemned the filmed assault of a Qatari in his home country after returning from the Hajj in Saudi Arabia.

Hamad Al Marri, had been on Saudi television during the pilgrimage praising Saudi Arabia for allowing Qataris to perform Hajj despite the regional sanctions on Qatar.

The National Society for Human Rights in Saudi Arabia on Sunday condemned the “beating, humiliation and degradation” of Mr Al Marri in Qatar after he returned from Hajj.

The society said the attack was filmed and shared online in a “flagrant violation of human rights”, and they urged Qatari and international human rights organisations to follow up on the issue and reveal “the fate of the Qatari national and protect him from the attacks and violations that have been committed against him”.

Mohammed Al Kaabi, chairman of the Emirates Human Rights Association, said: “All of these acts, individually and collectively, are crimes against humanity.”

The 43-second clip showed Mr Al Marri on his knees with his hands tied behind his back. Another man, posing as a Saudi, accused the victim of cursing the kingdom.

“I did not curse Saudi Arabia. I am a Qatari citizen, and I have no business in politics,” says the victim before the attack.

The Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights said Qataris attacked Mr Al Marri but wanted to pin it on the Saudis.

“It was revealed that [the attackers] were Qataris, and they hit and assaulted their countryman because he praised Saudi Arabia and its facilitation of Hajj and because he refused to offend Saudis and the kingdom,” said Hafez Abu Saada, director of the organisation.

Saudi Arabia raised Qatar’s quota for the Hajj by 30 per cent this year, despite the sanctions.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on June 5 over accusations it was supporting terrorist groups and interfering in the internal affairs of other countries. Doha denies the allegations. While the dispute remains in a stalemate, Saudi Arabia opened its Salwa border crossing to allow Qatari pilgrims in to the country. Pilgrims were then flown to Jeddah at the king’s expense from King Fahad International Airport in Dammam and Al Ahsa International Airport in the Eastern Province, reported the Saudi Press Agency.

At total of 1,564 Qataris arrived in Saudi Arabia for the pilgrimage, said the governor of Makkah Prince Khalid Al Faisal. The number of Qatari pilgrims last year was 1,210.

The Manama Centre for Human Rights said that what happened to Mr Al Marri after “performing the obligation of Hajj … was a violation of human rights, ethics, Islam and Arabism”.