Peter Tatchell arrested in Qatar 26 days before football World Cup

LGBTQ+ and human rights campaigner Peter Tatchell has been arrested in Qatar today (Tuesday, October 25) outside the National Museum of Qatar in Doha while staging a one-man protest – the first public LGBTQ+ protest in any Gulf State – against Qatar’s criminalisation of LGBTQ+ people – just 26 days before the start of the football World Cup.

The current whereabouts of Mr Tatchell, aged 70, are unknown. Mr Tatchell was holding a placard supporting Qatari LGBTQ+ people who live under one of the most repressive regimes in the world that criminalises both male and female homosexuality, with sentences that can include three years jail and death by stoning. His placard read: “Qatar arrests, jails & subjects LGBTs to ‘conversion’ #QatarAntiGay.” He wore a t-shirt with the hashtag: #QatarAntiGay

Speaking from Qatar shortly before his protest, Peter Tatchell said: “There can be no normal sporting relations with an abnormal regime like Qatar. It is a homophobic, sexist and racist dictatorship.

“Qatar cannot be allowed to sportswash its reputation. It is using the World Cup to enhance its international image. We must ensure that the tyrant regime in Doha does not score a PR victory.

“I did this protest to shine a light on Qatar’s human rights abuses against LGBTQ+ people, women, migrant workers and liberal Qataris. I am supporting their brave battle against tyranny.

“LGBTQ+ Qataris face police harassment, online entrapment, ‘honour’ killing, arrest, three years jail and potentially the death penalty. Qatar has secret gay conversion centres where LGBTQ+ people can be detained and subjected to abusive attempts to turn them straight.

“Women must get permission from a male guardian to marry, work in many government jobs and to study and travel abroad.

“Over 6,500 migrant workers have died since Qatar was given the right to host the World Cup. Many families are still waiting for compensation. Migrant workers complain of unpaid wages, overcrowded slum hostels and being refused permission to change jobs.”

Mr Tatchell added: “Despite FIFA saying that discrimination will not be tolerated, if a Qatari footballer came out as gay, he would be more likely to be arrested and jailed than be selected for the national team. That’s discrimination and against FIFA’s rules.

“FIFA has failed to secure change in Qatar. There have been no legislative reforms on LGBTQ+ or women’s rights. Improvements for migrant workers have been patchy at best. FIFA is letting Qatar evade many of its pledges when it was granted the right to hold the World Cup,” said Mr Tatchell.

Peter Tatchell is Director of the London-based human rights organisation, the Peter Tatchell Foundation.