The State of Qatar reiterated that the principle of jurisdiction constitutes one of the basic tools to ensure the prevention and suppression of serious violations of international humanitarian law and the criminalization of perpetrators, expressing its interest in the issue of universal jurisdiction and its applications, based on its conviction that impunity is the main factor in the increasing incidence of mass atrocities in the world, which is rejected by the human conscience because it violates legal instruments and human values.
This came in the statement of the State of Qatar delivered by Second Secretary at Qatar’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Ali bin Ahmed Al Mansouri, during the Sixth Committee (Legal) of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly debate on the scope and application of universal jurisdiction.
In its statement, the State of Qatar called for filling legal loopholes in order to end impunity and protect the rights of victims, noting that this can only be achieved through concerted international efforts to prevent impunity, strengthen the rule of law at the national and international levels, and deter any person or party contemplating committing such serious crimes.
The State of Qatar reiterated the importance of realizing a proper balance between the need to end impunity and the need for the principle of universal jurisdiction to be exercised in good faith, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and other applicable rules of international law.
The statement added that the State of Qatar reaffirms that the principle of jurisdiction is one of the basic tools to ensure the prevention and suppression of serious violations of international humanitarian law and the criminalization of perpetrators, referring in this context to the four Geneva Conventions which stipulate that states parties are obligated to search for persons accused of committing or ordering violations of the four Geneva Conventions.
The statement of the State of Qatar warned of the growing threat of terrorism in the world in a way that endangers the lives and properties of civilians, and said that this pushes the international community towards establishing the principle of universal jurisdiction to confront that danger.
The statement pointed to the legislative tools in force in the State of Qatar in accordance with effective legislative controls. Among the most important examples of provisions of Qatari laws that extend jurisdiction outside the borders of the State, and converge with the spirit and nature of the principle of universal jurisdiction, are Law No. (11) of 2004 on the Penal Code, Law No. (3) of 2004 on combating terrorism, Law No. (4) of 2010 on combating money laundering and terrorist financing, and Law No. (15) of 2011 on combating human trafficking.
The statement also referred to Qatar’s accession to a number of relevant international conventions, including the four Geneva Conventions of 1949, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, and the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
In conclusion of its statement, the State of Qatar stressed the vital importance of determining the scope of universal jurisdiction in order to apply to the most serious international crimes, bring perpetrators to justice, and provide redress for victims, which the international community needs in order to establish a world full of security, peace and respect for human rights.
Source: Ministry of Foreign Affairs