Human Rights Watch is calling out abuses of LGBT people in Qatar ahead of the World Cup.
The international organization claims security forces in the Middle East country have "arbitrarily arrested lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people and subjected them to ill-treatment in detention."
Human Rights Watch said it has documented six cases of severe beatings and five cases of sexual harassment in police custody. The organization says the incidents occurred between 2019 and 2022.
“While Qatar prepares to host the World Cup, security forces are detaining and abusing LGBT people simply for who they are, apparently confident that the security force abuses will go unreported and unchecked,” said Rasha Younes, LGBT rights researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Qatari authorities need to end impunity for violence against LGBT people. The world is watching.”
A Qatar government official called the allegations "unequivocally false," according to AFP.
Despite concerns about human rights in the Muslim country, the World Cup will go on. It is scheduled to kick off on Nov. 20.