Qatar whistleblower Abdullah Ibhais arrested before US court testimony
Former Qatar World Cup whistleblower Abdullah Ibhais has been arrested in Jordan just two weeks before he was scheduled to testify in a United States human trafficking case.
The Jordanian national was detained in the capital city of Amman by the General Intelligence Directorate (GID).
His family allege he was taken by local authorities to prevent his participation in an upcoming legal deposition.
He was subpoenaed to provide evidence to a US District Court in Colorado on 20 August regarding forced labour allegations associated with the 2022 tournament.
Previous imprisonment and ongoing threats
The former Supreme Committee employee spent three years in a Doha prison following what Amnesty International described as an unfair trial.
He was convicted in April 2021 on bribery and public funds charges, though advocates maintain it was a malicious prosecution orchestrated in response to his investigations into migrant worker conditions.
Following his release from custody in March after a reduced sentence, the whistleblower has faced continued pressure from law enforcement agencies.
Ibhais has been threatened with prison before by GID officers, if he insisted to continue his advocacy concerning his case, or concerning the issue of workers conditions in Qatar.
Travel restrictions and missed testimonies
Attempts to restrict the advocate’s movements and silence his testimony have reportedly been ongoing since May.
Authorities allegedly searched his home earlier this year before abruptly halting the operation and leaving the premises following a phone call.
His passport was also confiscated for two months, a move his family believes was specifically designed to stop him from attending a virtual deposition in Norway.
These severe travel restrictions recently forced him to abandon a scheduled meeting in Washington DC with Massachusetts congressman James McGovern.
He was also prevented from participating in the Oslo Freedom Forum organised by the Human Rights Foundation in June.