After enduring a month of unjust and arbitrary imprisonment, during which he became seriously ill while in custody, Mr. Remy Rowhani was released from prison in Qatar on 24 January 2025. He had been detained at Hamad International Airport in Doha on 23 December 2024 and imprisoned because of his Baha’i beliefs.

The Baha’i International Community (BIC) expresses its profound dismay at the baseless and unwarranted incarceration of Mr. Rowhani, a highly respected Qatari citizen, who has served his country with distinction for decades. He served as the Director of the International Chamber of Commerce’s Middle East and North Africa regional office, based in Doha, and is also a distinguished member of the Baha’i community, serving as the Chairperson of the National Assembly of the Baha’is of Qatar, a voluntary role that addresses the spiritual and administrative needs of the Baha’i community.

“The unjust imprisonment of this Baha'i dignitary marks a serious escalation in the ongoing discrimination against the entire Baha'i community in Qatar,” said Saba Haddad, Representative of the Baha’i International Community to the United Nations. “This act stands as further evidence of the Qatari authorities' efforts to deny the community its fundamental rights.”

Mr. Rowhani’s imprisonment stemmed from a prejudicial court case adjudicated in absentia in April 2021, with the ruling later upheld by an appeals court in May 2022. Mr. Rowhani was denied legal due process throughout the proceedings. The charges against him were baseless and lacked evidence, targeting his voluntary service on behalf of the Baha’i community, a service carried out with the full knowledge of Qatari authorities.

The case and subsequent treatment exemplify a broader pattern of systemic discrimination and human rights violations against the Baha’i community in Qatar—a pattern persisting over several decades.

Violations include forced family separation, expulsion from educational institutions, discrimination in employment and denial of “good conduct” certificates (rendering individuals ineligible for employment), the destruction and desecration of the Baha’i cemetery in Doha, and instances of abrupt deportations and blacklisting with no transparency on the process or justifications.

“The Qatari authorities are using these opaque administrative processes as a fig leaf to hide their intolerance of the Baha’is and the religious erasure of this community, yet this does not fool anybody,” said Dr. Haddad. “The pattern of targeted actions against the Baha’is is blatant and clear for all to see and can no longer be tolerated.”

“Such blatant violations of human rights contradict Qatar’s stated commitments to diversity and inclusion in its constitution and international obligations,” Dr. Haddad added. “And they expose a stark contrast between religious prejudice in Qatar and the positive steps being taken elsewhere in the region to embrace diversity, pluralism, and openness. The Baha’i community in Qatar—and subsequently the Baha’i International Community—has exhausted all avenues to engage with the authorities to resolve these issues. Yet the Baha’is remain keen to engage in constructive dialogue with Qatari authorities to see an end to the discrimination faced by Baha’is in Qatar and address any misunderstandings.”

The Baha’i International Community calls upon the Qatari authorities to:

1. Clear the record of Mr. Remy Rowhani.

2. Appoint an appropriate official government liaison with the Baha'is in Qatar.

3. Cease all forms of discrimination against the Baha’is in Qatar, and guarantee that Baha’is are no longer arbitrarily blacklisted, unfairly expelled, or subjected to systemic exclusion.

Addressing these injustices is essential to upholding Qatar’s commitments to human rights and ensuring a society that respects and celebrates diversity.

For more information please contact

• Bani Dugal, Principal Representative, New York, [email protected], +19143293020 (English)

• Saba Haddad, Representative, Geneva, [email protected], +41783082219 (English & Arabic)