“All were detained without charge, in one case for two months in solitary confinement, without access to legal counsel,” the report said. “None of them received any record of their detention. These acts may constitute arbitrary detention under international human rights law.”
The Washington Post was unable to immediately confirm the accounts in the report. But she It raises concerns expressed by rights groups and football players about the safety of LGBT people attending next month’s World Cup.
According to the 2021 US Department of State human rights report, Qatari law prohibits consensual same-sex sexual acts between men, but does not explicitly prohibit them for women. Same-sex relationships between men can sentence them to up to seven years in prison.
In an emailed statement, a Qatari government spokesman disputed the allegations, saying the report “contains categorically and categorically false information” and that the country “does not tolerate discrimination against anyone”.
People interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they were slapped, kicked and punched while in custody. At least one woman said she lost consciousness. Members of Qatar’s Preventive Security Department, an agency under the country’s Ministry of Interior, forced all six people to sign pledges to “stop immoral activities”.
One of the trans women told Human Rights Watch that she was arrested on the street in Doha and accused of “impersonating women”. When she got into a police vehicle, authorities beat her, smeared her lips and nose in blood, and kicked her in the stomach. According to the report, one of the officials told him, “You gays are immoral, we will be the same to you.”
“I was detained without charge for three weeks and officers sexually abused me repeatedly,” he said. “Part of the release requirement was to attend sessions with a psychologist who would ‘make me a man again’.”
The woman also reported seeing at least seven other LGBT people locked up in the same underground prison.
A second trans woman said she was arrested for wearing makeup. Authorities shaved her hair and asked her to swear an oath never to wear makeup again, provided she was released. The report stated that trans women should receive “conversion therapy” in state-sponsored centres.
Human Rights Watch said the arbitrary detention of interviewees was based on a law allowing temporary detention “if there are valid reasons to believe that the accused may have committed a crime”, including “violating public morals”.
Qatar has faced pressure from foreign officials, football players and FIFA for its attitude towards LGBT individuals ahead of the World Cup, which will begin on November 20. Qatari officials said anyone, regardless of background, can participate — but with caveats like respect the country’s culture.
Attendees at a human rights convention organized by the German football federation last month urged Qatar’s ambassador to Berlin to lift penalties for homosexuality in Qatar, the Associated Press reported. Australian footballer Josh Cavallo, who was revealed to be gay last year, expression Concerns about the country’s homophobic laws. In March, 16 LGBT groups urged Qatar to repeal these laws, among other demands.
FIFA has forced Doha to host an inclusive tournament, and fans will be allowed to wave the rainbow-colored LGBT flag during matches after Qatar said it would abide by the football association’s rules that promote tolerance and inclusion, according to reports in 2020. But in March, the Associated Press reported, a Qatari official warned that law enforcement could take rainbow flags from them to “protect” them from being attacked by locals who might be angry at their support.
In a separate statement to The Post, FIFA said it was “fully aware” of Qatar’s duty as World Cup host to ban “any form of discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation”. FIFA and Qatari officials said they aim to provide human rights training to public and private security forces in Qatar, among other measures to prevent discrimination against sexual minorities.