Serious human rights issues warned of by groups as Qatar World Cup 2022 worker jailed

WhatsAppWhatsAppFacebookFacebookTwitterTwitterPinterestPinterestRedditRedditGmailGmailShareShare

Last updated on September 20th, 2023 at 11:29 am

QatarQatar Qatar – A former senior World Cup 2022 media manager, Abdullah Ibhais has been jailed for three years in Qatar. And now his appeal against the controversial sentence has been rejected – the sentence that he believes was given after he had publicly criticized Qatar’s Supreme Committee for how it handled the strike of migrant workers. The sentence has sparked criticism by human rights groups globally who allege that Ibhais was forced into confession. Human rights groups and activists warn that this situation is just a tip of the iceberg – the country is home to some serious human rights issues.

According to human rights groups Human Rights Watch (HRW) and FairSquare, no evidence has surfaced of any wrongdoing on part of Ibhais. The groups have also criticized Fifa for avoiding to intervene in the situation that has roots into the Qatar World Cup 2022. This has invariably enabled the authorities in Qatar to carry out human rights abuses around the world cup. But Qatar has said that Ibhais has been sentenced for seeking bribes and not for speaking against the Supreme Committee that was organizing the World Cup 2022 in Qatar.

Related Posts

Nicholas McGeehan, co-director of FairSquare, said after the verdict, “This case goes to the heart of the serious issues with Qatar’s World Cup and every day Abdullah Ibhais remains in jail more people will know his name, know what he did for the migrant workers who built Qatar’s World Cup, and know the price he has apparently paid for that.”

“Did he get a fair trial? Absolutely not. Did Fifa make a call for a fair trial? No, they didn’t, which I think is pretty scandalous,” he added. “It was Qatar’s World Cup organizers who instigated this prosecution, but it was Fifa’s silence that enabled today’s verdict, for which there is no evidence other than a forced confession.” Defending the sentence given to Ibhais, a Qatari official said, “The court of appeal has upheld its guilty verdict in the case of Mr Abdullah Ibhais. He was convicted following the careful examination of an abundance of strong and credible evidence against him for soliciting bribes to influence the outcome of a state-funded procurement process. This evidence included extensive details of the crime – much more than the defendant’s own confession.”

McGeehan said that Abdullah Ibhais’s position has been clear in the situation. “In contrast, Abdullah claims that he took a stance on workers’ rights internally, he has got evidence to support that,” said McGeehan. “He provided us with a very clear explanation of what happened in this case, before it went public, and all of that has been borne out by the documentation that we have subsequently seen.”

About Shreya Shah

Shreya Shah is a multimedia journalist and a passionate writer in The Workers Rights. Her passion for journalism helps the media to share important stories.

Shreya Shah

Shreya Shah is a multimedia journalist and a passionate writer in The Workers Rights. Her passion for journalism helps the media to share important stories.

Recent Posts

New Exit Rule for Expats in Kuwait: Key Details Inside

Kuwait is implementing a significant policy change: expatriate private sector employees must now secure an official exit permit from their…

June 11, 2025

Ria Launches Digital Wallet for Unbanked Migrant Workers—Know the Benefits

Ria Money Transfer has launched its Ria Wallet app which aims to assist one of the most underserved populations of…

June 11, 2025

50 Years of Australia’s Racial Discrimination Act – What Does It Really Mean Today?

The 50th anniversary of the Racial Discrimination Act 1975 is one of the highlight events in Australia’s human rights history.…

June 11, 2025

Google Layoffs Ahead? Buyouts Offered to Employees—Know the Details

Reports indicate that Google is preparing to conduct another round of layoffs, this time voluntarily offering exit packages (buyouts) to…

June 11, 2025

The New Career Currency: Why Top Talent Now Demands Both Big Salaries AND Work-Life Balance

The labor market in India is modernizing the expectations for any employment where paychecks were a major consideration, workers now…

June 10, 2025

ITR Filing 2025: Is Landlord’s PAN Mandatory to Claim HRA?

For Assessment Year 2025-26, the Income Tax Department has broadened its disclosure requirements for salaried taxpayers who are claiming House…

June 10, 2025