Qatar Police Arrest LGBTQ+ Campaigner Just 26 Days Before World Cup

 

Tatchell’s protest, which was the first-ever public LGBTQ+ protest in Qatar, took place outside the National Museum of Qatar in Doha.

 

Tatchell held a placard supporting Qatari LGBTQ+ people who live under one of the most repressive regimes in the world that criminalises both male and female homosexuality, with sentences that can include three years in jail and death by stoning.

 

“Qatar arrests, jails & subjects LGBTs to ‘conversion’ #QatarAntiGay,” read his placard while wearing a t-shirt with the hashtag: #QatarAntiGay.

 

The current whereabouts of Mr Tatchell are unknown.

 

Speaking from Qatar shortly before his protest, Peter Tatchell said: “There can be no normal sporting relations with an abnormal regime like Qatar. It is a homophobic, sexist and racist dictatorship.”

 

“Qatar cannot be allowed to sports-wash its reputation. It is using the World Cup to enhance its international image. We must ensure that the tyrant regime in Doha does not score a PR victory.”

 

“I did this protest to shine a light on Qatar’s human rights abuses against LGBT+ people, women, migrant workers and liberal Qataris. I am supporting their brave battle against tyranny.”

 

“LGBT+ Qataris face police harassment, online entrapment, ‘honour’ killing, arrest, three years jail and potentially the death penalty. Qatar has secret gay conversion centres where LGBT+ people can be detained and subjected to abusive attempts to turn them straight.”

 

“Women must get permission from a male guardian to marry, work in many government jobs and to study and travel abroad.”

 

“Over 6,500 migrant workers have died since Qatar was given the right to host the World Cup. Many families are still waiting for compensation. Migrant workers complain of unpaid wages, overcrowded slum hostels and being refused permission to change jobs.”

 

Mr Tatchell added: “Despite FIFA saying that discrimination will not be tolerated if a Qatari footballer came out as gay, he would be more likely to be arrested and jailed than be selected for the national team. That’s discrimination and against FIFA’s rules.”

 

“FIFA has failed to secure change in Qatar. There have been no legislative reforms on LGBT+ or women’s rights. Improvements for migrant workers have been patchy at best. FIFA is letting Qatar evade many of its pledges when it was granted the right to hold the World Cup,” said Mr Tatchell.”