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The current measures imposed by Gulf states on Qatar are causing “suffering, heartbreak and fear” to many ordinary people, according to Amnesty International.
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“Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) are toying with the lives of thousands of Gulf residents as part of their dispute with Qatar, splitting up families and destroying peoples’ livelihoods and education,” the human rights watchdog said.
The three countries, along with Egypt, cut diplomatic ties to Qatar and closed their airspace to commercial flights on Monday.
Yemen, Libya's eastern-based government and the Maldives joined the move later.
They are accusing Doha of supporting Islamist militants and the government in Iran.
They also forbade their citizens from traveling to Qatar, residing in it or passing through it, and advised them to leave within 14 days.
Qataris were given 14 days to get out of their countries.
Qatar denies financing rebel militias and has hit back at the measures, with the nation's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani labelling them a "violation of international law".
The measures are more severe than during a previous rift, when Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE withdrew their ambassadors from Doha in 2014, alleging Qatari support for the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and across the region.
Qatar's National Human Rights Committee said more than 11,000 nationals of Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE live in Qatar and many Qataris also live in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and UAE. It had received over 400 complaints submitted by citizens from these countries, claiming they were severely affected by the diplomatic row.
A Saudi Arabian man told Amnesty International that he is unable to visit his mother, who is seriously ill in hospital in Saudi Arabia, because if he did he would not be able to return to Qatar to be with his wife and children.
One Qatari student said all her classes in the UAE for the rest of the year had been cancelled and she was concerned about whether she can continue her education.
“These drastic measures are already having a brutal effect, splitting children from parents and husbands from wives. People from across the region – not only from Qatar, but also from the states implementing these measures – risk losing jobs and having their education disrupted,” said James Lynch, Deputy Director of Amnesty International’s Global Issues Programme.
“All the states involved in this dispute must ensure their actions do not lead to human rights violations.”
The Gulf states also warned their own citizens that they could face harsh penalties if they express “sympathy or favouritism” to Qatar.
The United Arab Emirates says anyone who violates this edict could face up to 15 years in jail, while state-controlled Saudi Arabian media said it could offenders could be prosecuted under cyber crime laws.
Bahrain's Interior Ministry also announced that anyone who made such an expression either on or off line would be punished with five years in prison and a fine under the Penal Code.
“Prosecuting anyone on this basis would be a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression. No one should be punished for peacefully expressing their views or criticizing a government decision,” Lynch said.
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Friday urged these Gulf states to ease their blockade against Qatar, saying it was causing “unintended” humanitarian consequences.
In contrast to Tillerson's approach, the U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday, "The nation of Qatar unfortunately has historically been a funder of terrorism at a very high level".
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