BBC journalists jailed in Qatar while on official pre-World Cup visit

May 18th, 2015

David Schulberg

The new labor city in the Sanaya Industrial Area in Doha is seen during a government-guided tour, May 3, 2015.(Reuters / Stringer)

Qatari security forces have arrested and interrogated a BBC TV crew, while the journalists were on an official press tour to cover FIFA’s World Cup 2022 preparations. The government said the crew had broken the law by ‘trespassing on private property.’

The British journalists were in Qatar, “invited by the prime
minister’s office,” according to BBC correspondent Mark
Lobel. The government had organized a press tour for a number of
journalists, following an ongoing international outcry at Qatar
allegedly infringing migrant workers’ rights. The people
constructing infrastructure for the football World Cup are
believed to be facing poor labor conditions in the oil-rich Gulf
state.

The BBC crew was about to film a group of workers from Nepal
while gathering “additional material for our report” in
the capital city of Doha, Lobel wrote in his piece for the BBC on
Monday. This is when, according to the journalist, they were
“dramatically” arrested by police.

“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,” Lobel
wrote.

The correspondent, along with the cameraman, translator and
driver were taken to a police station, where they were
“interrogated separately by intelligence officers.”
After “hostile” questioning the crew was taken to a
local prison.

Lobel said he found out he had been trailed in Qatar since his
arrival there. According to the journalist, he was told that
“the detention was being dealt with as a matter of national
security.” The crew was jailed for two days before being
released with no charges brought.

I’m not expecting much but an apology or just return of my
phone would be nice. Our response to false accusations:
http://t.co/xaanZYiH9K

— Mark Lobel (@marklobel) May 18,
2015

In a statement, released on Monday, the Qatari government said
that while the state communications office invited a dozen
reporters to see the labor accommodation and interview
“whomever they chose,” the BBC crew decided to film out
of the itinerary.

“In doing so, they trespassed on private property, which is
against the law in Qatar just as it is in most countries,”
the statement says.

The BBC says the authorities are trying to “justify the
detention,” and that the journalists reject what the
officials say. According to the media company, the crew’s
equipment was confiscated and never returned.

FIFA is now investigating the incident, having released a
statement saying that “any instance relating to an apparent
restriction of press freedom is of concern.”

The recent arrest is not the first case of Qatar’s alleged
attempts at preventing journalistic investigations in the country
ahead of the 2022 World Cup. This month, journalists from
Germany’s biggest television networks were reportedly detained,
questioned and not allowed to leave Qatar for some days.

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