Amnesty International Criticizes Qatar's World Cup Preparations Again

Amnesty International, referring to the deaths of hundreds of workers in 2014 during Qatar's preparations for the 2022 World Cup, states that the country has failed to improve labor conditions and rectify the situation for workers, contrary to its promises. Among the issues highlighted by the human rights organization on May 19 is a system called 'Kafala' that prevents workers from leaving the country. Other issues such as payment and restrictions on changing employers are among the 'promises' for improvement that, according to Amnesty International, Qatar has not fulfilled. According to Amnesty International, in 2014, 441 foreign workers from India and Nepal, the two countries with the highest number of foreign workers in Qatar, lost their lives while preparing facilities and equipment for the World Cup. The death toll is sourced from the governments of these two countries, but details and circumstances of their deaths have not been disclosed. The organization has urged FIFA to publicly and privately demand that Doha implement effective reforms regarding the status of foreign workers. Meanwhile, last Monday, BBC journalists who traveled to Qatar to report on the situation of workers were arrested without charge and spent two days in detention. On the same day, the 'New FIFA; Now' campaign sent a letter to eight major World Cup sponsors, including Adidas, Gazprom, and Coca-Cola, urging them to protest the working conditions in Qatar. Amnesty International had previously protested the conditions surrounding the World Cup preparations in Qatar; in November 2013, the organization published a report on the 'exploitation' of construction workers in Qatar, stating that construction industry owners and employers treat foreign workers 'like animals.'