The rich Gulf country denounces “deceptive affirmations” to “political” and “racist” motivations.
Le Monde with AFP
While criticisms intensify with regard to Qatar as the World Cup approaches, the country rejects the calls of several NGOs to create a compensation fund for migrant workers killed or injured On tournament infrastructure construction sites. In an interview with the France-Presse agency on Wednesday, November 2, Ali Ben Samikh al-Marri, Qatari Minister of Labor, says that this is a “communication stroke”.
Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are carrying out a campaign to obtain compensation for workers victims of “abuse” (death, injuries, unpaid wages, etc.) from the International Football Federation (FIFA) and of the host country of the 2022 World Cup, competition which begins on November 20.
attempts to “discredit Qatar”
“Each death is a tragedy, [but] there are no criteria for establishing this fund, advances the minister. Where are the victims? Do you have the names?” The Minister recalled that his country had Established in 2018 a compensation fund for workers not receiving their salary, advancing the figure of 320 million euros paid in 2022. “If a person entitled to compensation did not receive it , that it manifests itself and we will help it, “he insisted, adding that Qatar is ready to examine cases dating back more than ten years.
He denounces attempts to “discredit Qatar with deliberately misleading assertions”. According to him, some foreign politicians make the Gulf country “an arena to solve their own political problems”. These criticisms are sometimes “motivated by racism”, according to him. “They do not want to allow a small country, an Arab country, a Muslim country, to organize the World Cup,” he continues.
Less than twenty days from its launch, the 2022 World Cup continues to create discomfort. Boycott calls have multiplied in recent weeks and several French cities have already announced that they would not set up fan-zones to broadcast the matches of this edition.
Many organizations denounce, in addition to the fact that labor law is flouted on construction sites, the unbearableness of working conditions and human losses, important. According to studies by the International Labor Organization and NGOs for the defense of human rights, the human record of the World Cup in Qatar is hundreds, even thousands of deaths – Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch evoke thousands of deaths.
FIFA should reserve a minimum amount of 420 million euros in order to provide repairs to hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who have suffered human rights violations in Qatar during preparations for the 2022 World Cup, wrote Amnesty International in a report made public in May.
m. Al-Marri said on Wednesday that such a compensation fund was not achievable. FIFA had made it known in mid-October that there was an “dialogue in progress” for measures in favor of workers on construction sites.