The Peninsula

Doha, Nov 10: The Interior Ministry said yesterday that the Constitution guaranteed it the right to deport foreigners who were perceived as a threat to national security.

This right cannot be challenged in the court, Lieutenant Colonel Abdullah Saqr Al Mohannadi, Director of Human Rights Department at the Ministry, told reporters.

Colonel Abdullah Saqr was answering questions during a press conference convened to outline details of a workshop to be held on human rights at the Ministry’s administrative office.

The Constitution guarantees full autonomy to the Judiciary and at the same time gives the country the right to deport those who pose a threat to national security, he said.

The Ministry also has the right not to divulge the reasons for deporting an expatriate, said the official when told that there were many cases where people were simply asked to leave the country without being told why.

“According to the Constitution, our right to protect the country’s interests cannot be questioned,” he maintained. The Ministry’s Human Rights Department received 687 complaints about violation of basic rights last year and most of them were redressed.

When told that the National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) was taking a lot of time to redress the woes of aggrieved expatriate workers, he said the Ministry was coordinating with the rights body and other government agencies concerned to ensure that the grievances are looked into on an urgent basis.