A BBC TV
team "was arrested in Qatar and held for two nights in prison while
reporting on living conditions for migrant laborers working on the 2022
World Cup," according to Amena Bakr of REUTERS. The
Gulf state "organized a press tour in early May for journalists from
Britain, elsewhere in Europe and the Middle East to examine the
conditions laborers face, amid global criticism of human rights
violations in the Gulf Arab state." Qatar's
state media office said that "the BBC crew arrived in Doha prior to the
planned tour and decided to conduct their own labor site visit, which
led to their arrest by security forces." It said, "They
trespassed on private property, which is against the law in Qatar just
as it is in most countries. Security forces were called and the BBC crew
was detained." The
BBC said in a statement that "it welcomed the team's release, but deplored
its detention, adding it was pressing Qatar for a full explanation and
the return of confiscated equipment." The BBC said, "Their presence in Qatar was no secret and they were engaged in a perfectly proper piece of journalism" (REUTERS, 5/18). The PA reported the Qatar government said, "By trespassing on private property and running afoul of Qatari laws, the BBC reporter made himself the story. We sincerely hope that this was not his intention. Moreover, we deeply regret that he was unable to report the real story, which is that the government and the private sector are making significant progress in efforts to improve the lives and the labour conditions of guest workers in Qatar" (PA, 5/18). Eurosport reported Mark Lobel, reporting from Doha, claimed that he and his accompanying crew "were detained for a lengthy period" and subject to "hostile" questioning after being the subjects of two days of surveillance prior to their arrests. BBC said, "The Qatari authorities have made a series of conflicting allegations to justify the detention, all of which the team rejects" (EUROSPORT, 5/18). The PA's Matt McGeehan wrote Int'l Trade Union Confederation General Secretary Sharan Burrow said, "If FIFA is serious about this, they can turn it around. They can turn it around, but they choose not to. Could we fix everything in seven years? Who knows? But can we turn it around and change the lives and the possibilities for the workers in Qatar? Absolutely. Overnight" (PA, 5/18).
FIFA INVESTIGATES: In London, Matthew Weaver wrote FIFA "launched an investigation" after the arrest. FIFA, which has been repeatedly criticized for the way Qatar won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup, "was helping to run the tour." It said that "it was investigating the arrests." FIFA said in a statement, "Any instance relating to an apparent restriction of press freedom is of concern to Fifa and will be looked into with the seriousness it deserves." After their release, members of the team "were allowed to take part in the official tour of a migrant accommodation block but their equipment remained confiscated and Qatar has offered no explanation or apology for the arrests" (GUARDIAN, 5/18). The BBC's Lobel wrote our arrest "was dramatic." We "were on a quiet stretch of road in the capital, Doha, on our way to film a group of workers from Nepal." Suddenly, "eight white cars surrounded our vehicle and directed us on to a side road at speed." A dozen security officers "frisked us in the street, shouting at us when we tried to talk." They "took away our equipment and hard drives and drove us to their headquarters." It "was meant to be the first day of our PR tour but instead we were later handcuffed and taken to be questioned for a second time, at the department of public prosecutions." Thirteen hours of waiting around and questioning later, "one of the interrogators snapped." He barked, "This is not Disneyland. You can't stick your camera anywhere" (BBC, 5/18).
