PEOPLE in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) face up to 15 years imprisonment for expressing sympathy for Qatar as the diplomatic crisis continues.
Qataris are no longer allowed to enter the country and those found to have posted messages showing sympathy with the gas-rich nation, which was cut off by its neighbours earlier this week, also face a £105,000 fine.
UAE Attorney-General Hamad Saif al-Shamsi said: “Strict and firm action will be taken against anyone who shows sympathy or any form of bias towards Qatar, or against anyone who objects to the position of the United Arab Emirates, whether it be through the means of social media, or any type of written, visual or verbal form.”
Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, Yemen, the Maldives and Libya have also taken action against Qatar over claims that it supports terror groups and is destabilising the region. Qatar denies this.
It is set to receive airlifts of food and water from Iran and Turkey after imports were prevented from crossing the Saudi border.
US President Donald Trump has backed the country’s isolation, claiming it could end the “horror” of terrorism. This comes despite the fact that America’s largest air force base in the Middle East is located in Qatar.
Qatar has accused the other countries involved of threatening its sovereignty and trying to impose guardianship over it.
UAE Foreign Minister Anwar Gargash denies that the other Gulf Arab states are looking for “regime change”, telling reporters: “The government of Qatar is in denial. It is trying to describe this as an issue about the independence of its foreign policy, and it is not.”
Meanwhile, the Philippines eased a temporary ban on Filipino migrant workers heading to Qatar which was introduced over fears about a “ripple effect” on its citizens.
Around 140,000 Filipinos are understood to be employed in the country.
Efforts to fast-track the deployment of more Turkish soldiers to Qatar are also under way after Ankara urged caution and dialogue between the parties.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Than said there is “no evidence” to support the terror claims.
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