Jeddah: Naglaa Al Harbi: Al Watan

The National Society for Human Rights has admitted that the correction procedures concerning the Bedoon’s conditions are very slow and that the problems will increase if we do not put an end to this issue which has witnessed before a clear guidance from the Ministry of Interior to be solved.

The Chairman of the Society, Dr. Mufleh Al Qahtani, has informed “Al Watan” that the Society has received the last two weeks hundred of the Bedoon who do not have identification papers in order to find solutions for their problems.

He adds saying that “the Society is facing many difficulties for finding solutions regarding the Bedoon’s problems and that their number is increasing because of the marriages and that the correction procedures concerning the Bedoon’s conditions are very slow”.

In addition, Al Qahtani has called the concerned authorities to exert more efforts for issuing decisions so as to solve the Bedoon’s issue urgently. He has also suggested some solution such as returning them to the elders of the tribes that they claim they belong to instead of following each case separately which resulted in delaying the completion of their transaction and giving them identification cards that will allow them to live their lives normally.

Al Qahtani has also asserted that from the main obstacles that face those who do not have identification papers are that they grow older and are prevented from education, marriage and burial in graves as well as depriving them from documenting their marriage contract which will result in many problems in the future such as the existence of children without identification papers.

Besides, the Chairman of the Society, Dr. Mufleh Al Qahtani, has informed “Al Watan” that the Society has received the last two weeks hundred of those who do not have identification papers “ Bedoon”, adding that the Society is facing many difficulties for finding solutions for those people since the correction procedures concerning the Bedoon’s conditions are very slow.

He has also warned of delaying the implementation of the solution as this will lead to the expansion of their problems as their number is increasing as a result of the marriages which took place without official papers as they cannot document their marriages officially. He adds saying that leaving such category without solving their problems will have several risks and he hopes from the concerned authorities to exert more efforts for issuing decisions that help in resolving their issue.

Moreover, Al Qahtani has highlighted that the best way for solving their issue is returning them to the elders of the tribes that they claim they belong to instead of following each case separately which will delay them.

He has also said in a press statement “we have spotted many obstacles that face those who do not have identification papers as we found that many of them are up to the age of twenty but have been deprived of education and marriage as well as being not able to bury their death as they do not have national identity and do not have civil file and there are high orders from the Ministry of Interior to solve the problems of those people but still the work is going on in a way that does not serve the purpose.”

Furthermore, Al Qahtani has illustrated that depriving these category from documenting their marriage contract will resulted in many problems in the future such as the existence of children who do not have identification papers and searching for their paternity, asking the concerned authorities to find solutions such as giving them identification cards which will enable them to live their lives normally.

For more illustration, he said that from the solutions that have been raised is giving them permanent residency but it could not be applied as it depends on their passport which they did not have and if they bring passport it might be fake and not official and pointing out that some cases require objective treatment since many of them reject this solution.