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Evening traffic on the Corniche promenade in Doha, Qatar. © 2022 Christian Charisius/picture-alliance/dpa/AP Images |
As World Cup fans worldwide gear up to cheer on their teams, authorities in Qatar, which is hosting the games, are busy harassing and detaining lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people, subjecting them to beatings and other mistreatment.
What are the authorities thinking? Even with all eyes on Qatar before the World Cup begins in November, the government is apparently confident that abuses against LGBT people will go unchecked.
They should be proven wrong.
Human Rights Watch documented six cases of severe and repeated beatings and five cases of sexual harassment of LGBT people in police custody between 2019 and as recently as September 2022.
Security forces arrested people in public places, based solely on their gender expression, and unlawfully searched their phones. In some cases, authorities even mandated that transgender women detainees attend conversion therapy sessions at a government-sponsored “behavioral healthcare” center.
One transgender Qatari woman said that after security forces arrested her on the street in Doha, officers accused her of “imitating women.” In the police car, they beat her until her lips and nose were bleeding and kicked her in the stomach, she said.
It’s clear Qatari authorities don’t believe the country's LGBT citizens have basic rights.
This isn’t Qatar’s only problem. In previous weeks I’ve written about Human Rights Watch’s campaign to get FIFA and Qatar to address serious abuses against migrant workers who are building the World Cup stadiums and other infrastructure. Athletes, fans, and other organizations are supporting the #PayUpFIFA campaign, which is gaining momentum. |
Watch: FIFA Should Pay for Harm to Qatar’s Migrant Workers |
Adding to the pressure, this week Australia’s soccer team released a moving video, speaking out against the Qatar World Cup’s devastating human rights legacy and standing in solidarity with both migrant workers and the LGBT community.
Now is not the time to turn away. The World Cup shouldn’t be a distraction from what is going on in Qatar. It should be a reminder to authorities that the world is watching.
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