The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed that 16 Filipinos are still under police custody in Qatar for allegedly holding a political demonstration last week.
 

(Photo from the Philippine Embassy in Qatar)

DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega said that of the original 20 Filipinos detained, four of them were already released. Three of them are minors, but their mother remains in custody of the police.
 

“Three doon (sa mga protesters are) minors, mga teenager[s], pinalaya na (Three of the protesters are minors, teenagers, were freed). Their mother, though, is still in custody ng mga pulis (of the police),” he said.
 

“As far as I know, iimbestigahan. Kapag satisfied ‘yung pulis, papalayain, kung hindi (they will be investigated. If the police is satisfied, they will be freed, if not), they will be charged,” he added.
 

The Philippine Embassy in Doha earlier announced that 20 Filipinos have been detained last week because of a political demonstration, believed to be connected to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte and his subsequent deportation to The Hague. 
 

Under Qatar's Law No. 18 of 2004, unauthorized protests and demonstrations are illegal, with public gatherings and protests requiring approval from the government.
 

If a case will be filed against them, De Vega said they are facing up to three years in detention, but he assured that the Philippine government will provide a lawyer for the detained Filipinos.
 

According to the DFA official, the alleged female protesters have already been questioned over the weekend, while the males will also soon face police interrogations.
 

The Ramadan season, however, might make the process lengthier because work hours are cut short in Muslim countries.
 

While he noted the system of laws is different in Middle East countries such as Qatar, De Vega expressed hope that the remaining 16 Filipinos in detention will be released soon and that they would only be fined instead of being charged with cases.
 

“Wala pa tayong mare-repatriate from Qatar kasi nasa police custody pa ‘yan. Ang gusto natin mapalaya at makabalik [sila] sa trabaho (We cannot repatriate anyone yet from Qatar because they are still in police custody. What we like is for them to be freed and to return to their jobs),” he said.