UAE-Qatar discrimination case returns to UN court

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) will hear preliminary objections raised by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the case concerning the violation of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD) filed by Qatar.

In 2018, Qatar filed a case against the UAE accusing it of breaching the convention as well as of creating a “climate of fear” for Qataris living in the Emirates.

Following the case, the court’s judges issued an interim order asking the UAE to allow Qatari families separated by the UAE boycott of its Gulf neighbour to be allowed to reunite and for Qatari students to be allowed to complete their education in the Emirates.

The ICJ also ordered the UAE to take emergency measures to protect the rights of Qatari citizens, pending the start of the full hearings in the case, which started yesterday and will last one week.

In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar for allegedly “financing terrorism”, charges denied by Doha.

READ: Israel sold spyware to UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain