Qatar World Cup employee jailed for three years as rights groups cry foul

A former media officer for Qatar’s World Cup organising committee has been jailed for three years on charges including bribery and misuse of funds.

Abdullah Ibhais was sentenced on appeal by a Doha court on Wednesday morning, in a case that has become highly contentious in the run-up to next year’s World Cup.

Rights groups claim the Jordanian was only jailed after speaking out about workers’ rights in the country. However, World Cup organisers in Doha dismissed such claims as “absolutely false”.

The ruling means he will be in jail at the time of the tournament, being held next November and December. He was initially jailed for five years, pending today’s appeal.

Ibhais is currently on hunger strike. His wife was in court and broke down in tears at the ruling, according to reports. In a family statement, they said he had been tried “in front of a kangaroo court”.

Ibhais, who denies the charges, worked in communications for Qatar’s Supreme Committee, the local body organising the delivery of the World Cup.

In 2019, he was accused of fraud over a contract to produce social media for the World Cup. However, he claims his arrest came immediately after he signalled concerns for striking migrant workers in Qatar who had gone unpaid.

Rights groups, including Human Rights Watch and FairSquare have voiced concerns about the case and said there were credible allegations his confession was obtained via coercion, and warned that he would not face a fair trial.

“This case goes to the heart of the serious issues with Qatar’s World Cup and every day Abdullah Ibhais remains in jail more people will know his name, know what he did for the migrant workers who built Qatar’s World Cup, and know the price he has apparently paid for that,” FairSquare said in response to the sentencing.

Ever since being awarded the World Cup, Qatar has been ferociously criticised worldwide for its labour record, with claims that many workers helping prepare the country’s transformation for football’s biggest tournament, have faced abuse.

But organisers in Doha, deny this case has anything to do with labour rights.

In response to the ruling, the Supreme Committee said legal action was only taken after a “detailed internal investigation”, which became a criminal inquiry because of the “seriousness of the evidence”.

“Mr Ibhais’s allegations post-conviction allegations that the Supreme Committee conspired against him because of his views on migrant workers are ludicrous, defamatory, and absolutely false,” said the committee.

A Qatari official added that misappropriation of funds “is a serious crime in Qatar”.