Human Rights Watch (HRW), an international organization dedicated to monitoring respect for Human Rights, has denounced this Sunday that the authorities of Qatar have ordered since March the forced departure of at least four prominent figures from the Baha'i religious minority, without offering them any mechanism to appeal these orders.
The Baha'i community maintains that it suffers a long-standing harassment campaign by the Qatari Government. Furthermore, it recalls that its believers also face repeated discrimination in countries such as Egypt, Yemen, and Iran.
Among the documented cases is that of a member of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is in Qatar, the elected body responsible for managing the affairs of this confession in the country. His wife, also affected by the expulsion, was born and raised in Qatar to an Iranian family, has lived there all her life, and holds the position of deputy member on the board of directors.
Human Rights Watch has documented "a significant increase in persecution against Baha'is since the start of the armed conflict between Israel, the United States, and Iran."
"Qatari authorities have sought external support and sympathy by being targeted by Iranian attacks, while continuing their repression," said Human Rights Watch's Deputy Director for the Middle East, Michael Page.
"Qatar's deportations of Baha'is will uproot families and separate them," he added.