Blockade violated Qatar's rights: International court

By Serife Cetin

BRUSSELS (AA) – The International Court of Justice on Monday ruled that the United Arab Emirates had violated the rights of Qataris through the blockade it imposed on its Persian Gulf neighbor over a year ago.

This June, Qatar filed a lawsuit against the UAE at the UN International Court of Justice over “human rights violations," Qatar's Foreign Ministry said.

"The State of Qatar Initiates Proceedings against the UAE before the International Court of Justice for Human Rights Violations,” the ministry said on Twitter.

Relations between Qatar and the UAE have been strained since June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain severed diplomatic and trade ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism.

The four states have threatened Qatar with additional sanctions if it fails to meet a list of demands, including closing the broadcaster Al-Jazeera.

Qatar, however, has refused to comply, denying the accusations against it and describing the Saudi-led embargo as a “breach of its national sovereignty”.