abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb
Article

20 Oct 2022

Author:
Areeb Ullah, Middle East Eye

Qatar World Cup: Kenyan labour rights activist 'detained and deported'

A former safety inspector at Qatar’s Lusail Stadium, where the World Cup football tournament will kick off next month, has described how he was detained and deported from the Gulf state over his advocacy for better conditions for migrant workers.

Geoffrey, a Kenyan workers’ rights activist, told Middle East Eye he was arrested in a night raid by Qatari police, held for eight days and then deported in June.

Before his deportation, he had been working as an investigator for Equidem, a London-based NGO investigating rights abuses...

Stressing that he had never broken the law, Geoffrey said he had been “harassed” by the Qatari authorities and decided to speak about his case to send a warning to rights groups and football governing bodies before the World Cup...

"If Qatar is genuine about protecting migrant worker rights, it should have been supporting labour activists like Geoffrey, rather than subjecting him to suspicion, ill-treatment in detention and threatening to prosecute him,"
Mustafa Qadri, Equidem's CEO