Amnesty International has accused Qatar of detaining dozens of migrant workers and expelling them last month after telling them they were being taken to be tested for the new coronavirus.

Qatar's government denied the allegations, saying the repatriated migrant workers had been found to be "engaged in illegal and illicit activity" uncovered during inspections carried out to halt the spread of COVID-19, the highly infectious respiratory disease caused by the pathogen...

According to the UK-based rights group, the police told "most of the men that they were going to be tested for COVID-19 and would be returned to their accommodation afterwards. Instead, they were taken to detention centres and held in appalling conditions for several days, before being sent to Nepal".

...In March, the government sealed off a large section of the Industrial Area, home to a large number of foreign construction workers, after "early testing indicated a cluster of coronavirus cases" in the area.

...In its statement, the Qatari government denounced the "unfounded allegations", saying they "distort the reality of the public health response and fail to acknowledge the numerous measures introduced to protect the wellbeing of citizens and residents".

Qatar and its labour laws have been under the spotlight ever since the country was named the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Its government has pledged to resolve labour disputes in the run-up to the tournament...