Name: Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami
Occupation: Poet
Country: Qatar
Current state: Serving a 15-year in prison sentence. 1358 days had been spent so far.
“Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami” is one of the Qatari poets who enjoys a great number of readers. He was arrested by the Qatari authorities owing to his poems.
Qatari authorities arrested Nabtian poet, as he belongs to AlNabtah tribe, Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb on the 16th of November 2011. He faced trumped-up accusations of insulting the Emir, inciting to overthrow the regime; against the backdrop of his poem “Jasmine” in 2011 on the occasion of Arab spring revolutions. He read it by his voice and uploaded to the internet in January 2011, stating: “we are all Tunisia in the face of the repressive.” Then, he condemned all the Arab regimes describing them as “thieves”. Into the bargain, he wished that Arab spring uprisings to transpire in Qatar by using explicit expressions.
Qatar’s state security body summoned Ibn al-Dheeb on the pretext of inquiring him about some matters related to his poems, but then he was apprehended and visitations were not allowed. He was held incommunicado for one month. However, his family took permission to visit him.
Noteworthy, the trial of “Ibn al-Dheeb” was marred by legal irregularities that contradict the basic rules of justice, particularly it had been held in camera. Details are as follows:
Qatari authorities have contravened Article 117 of Code of Criminal Procedures that prohibits holding any defendant on remand for more than 6 months. Consequently, it also breaches Universal Declaration of Human Rights’s Article 19 that provides for: “Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.”
He was held in solitary confinement, although his case does not deserve imprisonment. On top of that, it was possible to release him on bail and to continue interrogating him (as long as the case does not have security aspects or not a civil claim).
Also, it was not allowed for him to challenge the judge (which is a guaranteed right particularly after his lawyers had brought the legal reasons supporting his demand that were about the investigative judge could not become the judge of the case concerning the legal terms. This infringes Article 214 of Code of Judicial Procedures, which provides for: “the judge abstained from participating in reviewing the case, if the crime occurred on him directly or if he was involved any of the judicial arrest or an act of investigation or referral or accusation or defense or whatsoever”. This applies to Ibn al-Dheeb, as the investigative judge is the judge assigned to deliver the sentence which was refused by him and his lawyer “Naimi”). The Court of appeal rejected the request for recusal and sentenced to fine him for 2000QR ($500).
What can you do?
1- Write a letter to Qatari Ministry of Justice on the following address: PO Box 917 , Doha, Qatar; calling on Qatari authorities to release poet “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”.
2- Contact Ministry of Justice on number: 2222 4484 974+; demanding of Qatari authorities to release poet “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”. Working days and hours: from Sunday to Thursday (7 AM – 2 Pm).
3- Send a fax to Ministry of Justice: 2875 4483 974+, that has the graphic of #TheirFreedomIsTheirRight campaign about poet “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”.
4- Send an email to Qatari Ministry of Justice on info@moj.gov.qa; demanding the release of poet “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”.
5- Send letters to Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee on the following address: Fereej Abdulaziz, Nasser Bin Khalid Intercession, Otabi Tower,Doha-Qatar; calling for the release of “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”.
6- Call the National Human Rights Committee on: 0097444048844; calling for the release of poet“Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”.
7- Send a fax to the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar: 0097444444013, that has the graphic of #TheirFreedomIsTheirRight campaign about poet “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami”.
8- Contact the National Human Rights Committee on the hotline: 0097466626663; demanding the release of Mohamed Ibn al-Dheeb.
9- Send an email to Qatari Ministry of Justice on nhrc@qatar.net.qa; calling for the poet’s release.
10- Send a message to the National Human Rights Committee in Qatar via: http://www.nhrc-qa.org/; demanding the release of Ibn al-Dheeb.
11- Send an email to the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders via action@ohchr.org-urgent.
12- Post the photo of “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami” and information about him on Facebook and Twitter using hashtag #حريتهم_حقهم.
13- Send to the newspapers in your country some information about the poet “Mohammed Ibn al-Dheeb al-Ajami” and the unfair sentence he is serving.