Qatar’s Minister of Labor has criticized the Western media for their coverage of the country’s preparations for the soccer World Cup, just days before the Gulf nation will become the first in the Middle East to host the event.
Speaking at a meeting held by the Regional Committee on Human Rights of the European Parliament on Monday, Ali bin Samikh al-Marri said that although Qatar accepts constructive criticism, the campaign against his country has recently intensified.
Al-Marri in Brussels criticized the publication of the death of migrant workers in the preparation of the World Cup – with figures that are said to range from 6,500 to 15,000 – as “published figures. [that] lack of accuracy, reliability and integrity, and are not provided by registered organizations”.
“Every day we hear new rumors about the death of workers, as if we are ‘selling to the public’,” he said.
“I want to emphasize the inaccuracy of these numbers. I also ask all politicians to refer to specialized organizations such as the International Labor Organization (ILO) … when they want to know the correct information,” he said.
We cannot accept hate speech and discrimination against the Qatari people and their national community.
He Dr. Ali bin Samikh Al Marri, Minister of Labor.
Hearing in the European Parliament.#molqtr pic.twitter.com/8NJEBTFui2– Ministry of Labor (@MOLQTR) November 14, 2022
In February 2021, the Guardian reported that 6,500 workers from India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had died in the country since 2010, when Qatar hosted the World Cup.
The Qatari government said the figures, provided by the countries’ embassies, included deaths of people not participating in World Cup activities. It said, “Mortality rates among these communities are within the expected range of growth and population.”
The government says 37 people have died between 2014 and 2020 among workers directly connected to the construction of World Cup stadiums, three of which were “work-related”.
Last month, Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani said his country had faced an “unprecedented campaign” of criticism in the run-up to the event, raising questions about the “real motives and motives” behind the campaign. Qatari officials have also criticized the “hypocrisy” of people who want to start the World Cup to protest against human rights in the Gulf country.
On Monday, al-Marri said: “False statements and statements about Qatar began to change based on anti-racism statements with the aim of hurting the Qatari people and their community.”
He added: “We do not accept hate speech and systematic racism against our people, our country and our society, and we call on international human rights organizations to take action against anyone who is involved in these protests.”
The Minister of Labor during a hearing at the European Parliament:
Every day we hear new rumors about the death of workers, as if we are in a “stock market”.#molqtr pic.twitter.com/UOnoQWt75n– Ministry of Labor (@MOLQTR) November 15, 2022
Qatar’s treatment of migrants and its human rights record have been in the spotlight since it was awarded the competition, prompting teams to stand out from the competition.
The country has been criticized by human rights groups for its already widespread use of the No Objection Certificate (NOC) law, where workers are tied to employers whose permission is needed to change jobs. they protested their presence in Qatar to their employers and caused harassment and abuse.
The need for an NOC to change jobs was abolished in August 2020 for other important changes, including the introduction of a minimum wage. Qatar also introduced minimum wages and new hot-work laws, as part of a labor reform plan it said was in place before the World Cup.
In a statement on Monday, al-Marri said Qatar’s critics are deliberately ignoring the country’s labor reforms because they are “not following fake news”.
The ILO, in a report released this month, said Qatar has made progress in labor reform but challenges in implementation remain. It said the reforms had changed the working and living conditions of hundreds of thousands of workers – estimated to make up 85 percent of Qatar’s population – although further efforts were needed to ensure that all workers benefited.
The World Cup kicks off on November 20, with the opening match against Ecuador at the Al Bayt stadium. The final will be held on December 18.
