Qatar recently arrested at least 60 foreign workers who protested going months without pay and deported some of them, an advocacy group said, just three months before Doha hosts the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
The move comes as Qatar faces intense international scrutiny over its labour practices ahead of the tournament. Like other Gulf Arab nations, Qatar heavily relies on foreign labour. The workers’ protest a week ago — and Qatar’s reaction to it — could further fuel the concern.
The head of a labour consultancy investigating the incident said the detentions cast new doubt on Qatar’s pledges to improve the treatment of workers. “Is this really the reality coming out?” asked Mustafa Qadri, executive director of the group, Equidem Research.
