Qatar's Detention of BBC Journalist Part of a Pattern: GNRD

    NEW YORK, NY, May 19, 2015 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Qatar's mistreatment of a BBC press team invited to the country exposes a pattern of media harassment that the world's wealthiest country by population continues to pursue in disregard of international concerns, Norwegian NGO Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD) said today.

The Stavanger-based non-government organization was subjected to even worse intimidation when it sent a humanitarian research team to the Gulf nation to report on the living conditions of migrant workers who are building facilities for Qatar's 2022 World Cup.

The BBC said its journalist Mark Lobel was followed, arrested and detained by Doha security services even though he and his team were invited by the Qatari Prime Minister. The BBC was in Doha to report on what Qatar claims are improved living conditions for the low-paid migrant workers from developing Asian countries.

The BBC said Lobel was gathering material for a report on the World Cup labourers when he was seized in a sudden operation without advance warning.

"Our arrest was dramatic," Lobel wrote after his release and return to London. "We were on a quiet stretch of road in the capital, Doha, on our way to film a group of workers from Nepal. The working and housing conditions of migrant workers constructing new buildings in Qatar ahead of the World Cup have been heavily criticised and we wanted to see them for ourselves.

"Suddenly, eight white cars surrounded our vehicle and directed us on to a side road at speed." The BBC team then was frisked, its equipment was seized and members driven to a Qatari security headquarters where they were interrogated separately.

"The questioning was hostile," Lobel reported for the BBC and even after release the press team's equipment was not returned. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-32775563

Last year GNRD researchers Krishna Upadhyaya and Gundev Ghimire were seized by Qatar when preparing a humanitarian brief on the labourers' plight and were held incommunicado for more than a week before they were released. Despite an international outcry Qatar took six days to acknowledge their arrest and another three days before letting them go. See http://gnrd.net/seemore.php?id=876

"The state of Qatar arrogates to itself a place in civilised society yet cannot follow universal rules of behaviour, respect for the rights of individuals as well as institutions founded on democratic principles that it professes to hold in high regard," Global Network for Rights and Development said in a statement.

"The tens of millions being lavished on the state's pet projects, such as the World Cup, can only come to nought if Qatar fails to demonstrate basic tolerance for the freedom of expression and safeguard the fundamental rights of international media to report with impartiality and professionalism. After what happened to the BBC media team in Doha this month, it bodes ill for the thousands of media personalities that must attend to the preparations for the World Cup as well as other events hosted by Qatar. GNRD fervently hopes that commonsense will prevail in Doha and this overprivileged energy-rich state will mend its ways for its own good and for its reputation in the global arena."

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