MANILA – Seventeen Filipinos were arrested in Qatar for allegedly participating in an unauthorized political demonstration on Friday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed.
According to DFA Undersecretary Eduardo Jose De Vega, said the Filipinos are currently detained at a police station about an hour away from Doha.
The arrested Filipinos joined a rally to express their support for former president Rodrigo Duterte, currently detained at the International Criminal Court facility in The Hague, Netherlands over alleged crimes against humanity.
“The embassy has already issued an advisory stating that all forms of political rallies are prohibited in Qatar — even if they are unrelated to Qatari affairs,” De Vega said in a radio interview over the weekend.
“In this case, the rally was about the former president Duterte,” added De Vega, who said that they are closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with local authorities, while also providing legal assistance to the detained Filipinos.
De Vega, however, explained that Qatar’s legal system operates differently and authorities may not immediately disclose case details to the embassy while the investigation is ongoing.
“In many cases, if the individuals are deemed harmless, they are usually detained for a few days and then released,” De Vega said.
The DFA official also reminded Filipinos in Qatar to heed all advisories from the Philippine Embassy in Doha to follow local laws related to mass demonstrations and expressions of political grievances./PN
