Manama, The Interior Ministry has condemned the arrest of two Bahraini and four Asian fishermen by the Qatari Coast and Border Guard Patrols on April 13 and the confiscation of their boats over charges of entering the regional waters.

The Ministry said that their arrest had violated the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)’s brotherhood and good neighbouring principles, adding that it is also a violation of humanitarian and traditional values and Arab and Islamic agreements.

The Ministry revealed coordination with the Foreign Ministry to follow up on legal procedures to protect the rights of fishermen and sailors out of dedication to protecting citizens’ security, freedom, safety, and interests.

The Ministry noted that the insistence of the Qatari authorities on targeting Bahraini sailors and fishermen for their livelihoods, who were arrested, and their boats and equipment seized, is a violation of the traditional and historical ties inherited from fathers and grandfathers of allowing Gulf nationals with no restrictions or threats to fish for pearls and fish for more than two hundred years.

It is a clear violation of GCC nationals’ rights asserted in the Gulf Cooperation Council statute and the relevant GCC agreements regarding strengthening the Council and maintaining its unity and cohesion, it concluded.

Source: Bahrain News Agency