News – Page 2 – FairSquare

Key UN expert group asked to examine Qatar World Cup whistleblower’s case

Human rights organization FairSquare today asked the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention to examine the case of Abdullah Ibhais, a whistle-blower on the Qatar World Cup. A formal submission shared with the Working Group today argues that Ibhais has been arbitrarily detained, on the basis of a demonstrably unfair trial.

Call on Egypt’s international partners to take action on repression of EIPR

24 Egyptian and international NGOs, including FairSquare, have today written to European and North American governments calling on them to take action on the ongoing repression of staff of the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights. It is two years since EIPR staff were arrested following a meeting with western diplomats.

New report links lack of healthcare access to migrant worker deaths in the Gulf

Research for the Vital Signs Project identifies inability to access healthcare as a likely significant factor in the number of preventable deaths of migrant workers in the Gulf, and lack of documentation and affordability as key barriers.

A coalition of organisations, including NGOs from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines, today issued a report on low-income migrant workers’ access to healthcare in the Gulf. The Cost of Living, based on quantitative and qualitative research in the Gulf states and in multiple countries of origin, describes how multiple barriers prevent low-income migrant workers from accessing non-emergency healthcare in the six states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

FIFA Yet to Back Workers’ Remedy Fund Despite Growing Support

Football’s Governing Body Should Commit to Compensate Before World Cup Opens

FIFA has yet to officially commit to a fund to compensate migrant workers for harms and deaths in Qatar, despite public backing from at least seven national Football Associations, four World Cup sponsors, former players, political leaders and, according to an opinion poll, a large majority of the public in 15 countries, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and FairSquare said today.

U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) Criticized for “Dictator Games” This Week in United Arab Emirates

Human Rights Organizations Urge NBA to Condemn UAE Rulers’ Violence Against Women, Homophobia, and War in Yemen

A coalition of human rights, women’s rights, and peace organizations is calling on the U.S. National Basketball Association (NBA) to publicly condemn the rulers of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for their violence against women, homophobic laws, and brutal war in Yemen.

FIFA World Cup: All Sponsors Should Back Remedies for Workers

Global Survey Shows Major Support for Sponsors Backing Migrant Worker Compensation Call

FIFA’s corporate partners and sponsors of the 2022 World Cup should all press the global football association and the Qatari government to provide compensation and other remedies to migrant workers and their families who suffered death or injury, wage theft or debt from illegal recruitment fees while preparing the tournament, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, and FairSquare said today.

Egypt: Arbitrary Travel Bans Throttle Civil Society

Life-Destroying Bans a Key Tactic Against Lawyers, Journalists, Activists

Egypt is using arbitrary travel bans to target key members of civil society for their peaceful work, including rights lawyers, journalists, feminists, and researchers, FairSquare and Human Rights Watch said today.

FIFA should match $440m Qatar 2022 prize money to fund migrant worker compensation

FairSquare has joined Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and a range of football supporter groups, civil society organisations and trade unions to call on FIFA to help establish a comprehensive Qatar 2022 programme to ensure all labour abuses to which the organisation contributed are remedied, and to set aside appropriate financial resources.

Urgent call for action on migrant worker deaths in the Gulf

New report reveals poor data, high-rate of unexplained deaths and a series of cumulative risks to health.

A coalition of organisations, including NGOs from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal and the Philippines, today issued a report on the deaths of low-paid migrant workers in the Gulf states, and called on their governments and those in the Gulf to urgently take steps to reduce the number of unnecessary migrant worker fatalities.

The Abdullah Ibhais Case: Four Key Pieces Of Evidence

FairSquare, working with Human Rights Watch, has been documenting the case of Abdullah Ibhais since late 2021. His lawyer filed an appeal with Qatar’s final court of appeal, the Court of Cassation, on 13 February 2022. In this piece FairSquare Director Nick McGeehan provides analysis of the key pieces of evidence in the case.