From the moment Qatar was named host of the 2022 men's football world cup in 2011, the country has been the subject of gradually intensifying criticism regarding its human rights record. Now, as the tournament approaches, the focus from international media has been stepped up several levels as debate rages over the country's treatment of migrant workers and LGBTQ+ people.
Amnesty International reported last month that, despite some government reforms, human rights abuses in Qatar “persist on a significant scale”. But the criticism has been labelled as an "unprecedented campaign of fabrication and double standards" by the Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Amnesty International reported 15,021 migrant worker deaths between 2010 and 2019, a starkly different figure to the three work-related and 34 non work-related deaths as reported by Qatari authorities. While death certificates of young, healthy workers most commonly cite natural causes, recent investigations have concluded the fatalities were most likely due to heatstroke caught during their estimated working day of 12 or more hours.
