Qatar has detained nearly 650 boats and 2,153 persons with official Bahraini IDs in the past 10 years Bahrain’s human rights body slammed the silence over Qatar’s continuous targeting of local fishermen DUBAI: Qatar was still holding 47 Bahraini fishing boats, state news agency BNA reported on Sunday. Bahrain’s marine Maj. Gen. and head of Coast Guard Alaa Siyadi added that Qatar has detained nearly 650 boats and 2,153 persons with official Bahraini IDs in the past 10 years, the report added. The Coast Guard was receiving complaints from fishermen who have been targeted by Qatar in order to take appropriate legal measures, Siyadi added. Qatar’s actions have affected the fishermen by damaging their boats and income, the report added. On Friday, Bahrain’s human rights body slammed the silence over Qatar’s continuous targeting of local fishermen in the kingdom’s territorial waters. The National Institution for Human Rights (NIHR) expressed concern over the silence of NGOs on Qatar’s violations of human rights, without naming the accused organizations. Bahrain’s Interior Minister Rashid Al-Khalifa issued a warning to Qatari authorities last week and described Qatar’s actions towards Bahraini fishermen as “brutal.” The minister said the fishermen were arrested in a hostile and humiliating manner. “According to Bahraini fishermen, they were stopped in Bahrain’s water, and we won’t accept this,” he said.