Qatar
Qatar has dedicated counterterrorism provisions in its criminal law, including a new law adopted in 2019. The death penalty may be imposed for many terrorism offences. There is no carve-out for the exercise of fundamental human rights.
The Definition of Terrorism in Domestic Law
The 2019 Law defines terrorism as any offence covered by a global terrorism treaty to which Qatar is a party as well as:
Any act intended to cause death or serious bodily injury to a person not taking an active part in the hostilities in a situation of armed conflict, when the purpose of such act, by its nature or context, is to intimidate a population, or to compel a Government or an international organisation to do or to abstain from doing any act.Art. 1, 2019 Law on Combatting Terrorism.
Adherence to Global and Regional Terrorism Treaties
Qatar is a State Party to all of the main United Nations treaties on terrorism.
| Treaty | Adherence |
|---|---|
| 1973 Convention on Crimes against Internationally Protected Persons | State Party |
| 1979 Hostage-Taking Convention | State Party |
| 1997 Terrorist Bombings Convention | State Party |
| 1999 Terrorist Financing Convention | State Party |
| 2005 Nuclear Terrorism Convention | State Party |
Qatar is also a State Party to the main regional treaties on terrorism.
| Treaty | Adherence |
|---|---|
| 1998 Arab Convention on the Suppression of Terrorism | State Party |
| 1999 OIC Convention on Combating International Terrorism | State Party |
Laws and Penalties for Terrorist Offences
The following penalties are applied to terrorism offences instead of the ordinary criminal penalties:
1. Death, where the penalty prescribed for the offence is normally life imprisonment.
2. Life imprisonment, where the penalty prescribed for the offence is normally imprisonment for a period not less than fifteen years.
3. Imprisonment for a period not less than fifteen years, if the penalty prescribed for the offence is imprisonment for a period not less than ten years.
4. The maximum penalty prescribed for the offence, if the penalty prescribed for the offence is imprisonment for a period less than ten years.Art. 3, 2019 Law on Combating Terrorism.
Counterterrorism Capacities and Policies at Domestic Level
Qatar states that it maintains an interagency national counterterrorism committee within the Ministry of the Interior consisting of representatives from more than ten government ministries and official institutions. The Inter-Agency National Counter-Terrorism Committee is tasked with formulating Qatar's counterterrorism policy, ensuring comprehensive and transparent interagency coordination within the Government, meeting Qatar's obligations to combat terrorism under international conventions, and participating in international conferences on countering terrorism.
At the time of writing, the last recorded terror attack on Qatari soli was 2005 when a car bomb exploded outside a theatre in Doha killing a British citizen.
Glossary
Twitter