Yet another reason not to hold the World Cup in Qatar: The government is arresting BBC reporters

(Image credit: Alexandre Loureiro/Getty Images)

published 18 May 2015

The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is already a travesty. The government has been severely criticized for using virtual slave labor to build the new infrastructure required for the tournament, which for the first time in history will be played in November and December, thanks to Qatar reneging on a promise to build air-conditioned facilities that could withstand the blistering summers in the Persian Gulf.

Now the regime has arrested a crew of BBC reporters for investigating the living conditions of Nepali laborers:

The working and housing conditions of migrant workers constructing new buildings in Qatar ahead of the World Cup have been heavily criticized 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.A dozen security officers frisked us in the street, shouting at us when we tried to talk. They took away our equipment and hard drives and drove us to their headquarters.Later, in the city's main police station, the cameraman, translator, driver, and I were interrogated separately by intelligence officers. The questioning was hostile. [BBC]

They were eventually released. The BBC is demanding "a full explanation and for the return of the confiscated equipment."