After impudent check of Australian women, Qatar airways in news again for abducting Iranian opposition leader
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Alaina
- . November 4, 2020
- . Update: November 4, 2020 11:41 pm
Many are questioning the ethical stand of Qatar airways, which a week ago was criticised for its impudent strip-search and forced medical check-up of Australian women travellers. This time the airways aided the abduction of Iranian opposition leader of Al-Ahwaz Arab movement, which has been opposing the regime in Tehran. On Saturday, Turkish forces arrested Habib Asyud, leader of the Arab separatist insurgent group in Iran and used Qatar airways to hand him over to Iranian security forces.
The secessionist group Al-Ahwaz Arab Liberation Movement is an anti-Islamic Republic group which propagates establishment of pro-Arab government in the southwestern province of Khuzestan, in Iran. As per the reports, Qatar used its glittery lifestyle as a bait to get Asyud in the hook, who was detained by Turkish authorities on October 9 hours after arriving in Istanbul.
The “Defense Press”, Iranian news agency of armed forceson Friday evening said that “the Turkish authorities handed over to Iran, Habib Asyud, one of the leaders of the Arab Struggle Movement for the Liberation of Ahwaz.” It added, “Habib Asyud was arrested in Turkey… The delivery of Habib Asyud took place through the port of West Azerbaijan province, northwestern Iran.”
Read more : Qatar Airways, Australia Incident is just the last of a long series
Asyud’s abduction caused outrage among Arab movement activists who have been accusing Iran for conniving the act of espionage and added that they would hold regime responsible in case of any threat to Asyud’s life. The Movement’s president, Saeed Hmidan, also accused Turkey, Qatar and Sweden for being party to the crime. The Arab opposition group confirmed that it would take a legal channel to contest the kidnapping ofits leader and have been demanding update over his treatment to ensure that he was not harmed.
Qatar’s role in Asyud’s abduction, despite being an Arab nation itself, has sent shock waves in the region especially among all the Arab nations. Qatar has never overtly stood up strongly for any particular cause close to Arab world but has been opportunistic with the end goal to gain strategic power. Hence Doha has close ties with Turkey and Iran and has a notorious history of supporting, funding and sheltering many radical and terrorist groups including Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda and ISIS.
Many observers believe that one might need to think twice before boarding Qatar airways and given its ongoing track record with regard to its laced attitude towards women safety and safety of international leaders, it might be best to avoid it all together. The recent episode exposed Doha’s clandestine ways of espionage, working in support of of extremist groups and regime, putting the safety of its passengers in jeopardy. If one thinks of it, it could happen to anyone, forceful strip-search, without permission medical check of women or deporting someone to an enemy country without any prior notice or bypassing legalities involved.
