Officials in Qatar Confirm Detention of Britons Researching Migrant Labor
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Version 0 of 1. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Qatar has confirmed that it is holding two Britons who went missing while researching migrant labor issues, saying that the men are being questioned about possible illegal activities in the country. The Norway-based Global Network for Rights and Development reported that the two Britons — a researcher, Krishna Upadhyaya, 52, and a photographer, Ghimire Gundev, 36 — went missing on Aug. 31 as they were preparing to leave Qatar. The organization suggested that Qatari security services were behind their disappearance and called for their release. Amnesty International last week urged Qatari authorities to reveal the men’s whereabouts and ensure their safety. On Saturday, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry said in its first comment on the case that the men were arrested and “are being interrogated for having violated the provisions of the laws of the state of Qatar,” according to a statement carried by the official Qatar News Agency. The statement said that all actions taken against the men were “consistent with the principles of human rights” outlined in the laws of Qatar, and that British Embassy officials had visited them to check on their situation. An official at the British Embassy in Doha, Qatar’s capital, confirmed on Sunday that the mission was providing consular assistance to the men but was unable to provide further details. The Global Network for Rights and Development is based in Stavanger, Norway, and describes itself on its website as a neutral organization set up in 2008. Many of its recent statements have focused on the conflict in Gaza and other issues related to the Middle East. The group has singled out Qatar in the past over conditions faced by migrant workers. Like its Gulf state neighbors, Qatar relies on vast numbers of low-paid migrant workers, mainly from Asia. Its treatment of them has come under greater scrutiny since Qatar won the right to host the 2022 World Cup. Labor rights activists have raised concerns about dangerous working conditions and have made allegations about unpaid salaries and other abuses. Egypt’s official State Information Service in December noted that the Global Network for Rights and Development supported the listing of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and the group has since described a constitutional referendum and May elections in Egypt that led to the presidency of the former military chief, Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as a “democratic transition.” Mr. Sisi led the military overthrow of the Brotherhood-backed government of President Mohamed Morsi last year. Qatar is a strong supporter of the Brotherhood and other Islamist groups — a position that has put it at odds with Gulf neighbors like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. |