LGBTQ+ people ‘arrested and abused’ in Qatar ahead of World Cup
LGBTQ+ people were detained and subjected to “ill-treatment in detention” in Qatar as recently as last month, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW).
There were at least six cases of “severe and repeated beatings” reported, as well as five incidences of “sexual harassment in police custody between 2019 and 2022.” Some faced arrest in public places solely because of their gender expression, with there even being claims that security forces unlawfully searched the phones of detainees.
Transgender women were ordered to attend government-sponsored sessions of so-called ‘conversion therapy’ in order to be released, the report adds.
It comes after the Football Association (FA) assured LGBTQ+ fans that they will not face arrest for kissing or holding hands in public at the World Cup in November. “While Qatar prepares to host the World Cup, security forces are detaining and abusing LGBT people simply for who they are, apparently confident that the security force abuses will go unreported and unchecked,” said Rasha Younes, LGBTQ+ rights researcher at HRW. “Qatari authorities need to end impunity for violence against LGBT people.
