Qatar’s democratic claims are mere ink on paper

Ahmed Lamloum

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lolwah Al-Khater was tense when was asked in an interview with Deutsche Welle about her country’s democratic setback.  She couldn’t give a convincing answer the question. The situation is not surprising due to Qatar’s political condition.

Qatar had no constitution until 2004, around 30 years after it was founded. The state’s emir prince is an absolute ruler. The emir controls the state’s institutions as he appoints the prime minister, ministers and 15 of the country’s 45-member Shura Council.

Qatar is ranked among the world’s worst countries in terms of democracy and freedoms due to Doha’s misconduct. Human Rights Watch has decried Qatar’s double standards when it comes to freedom of speech.

Moreover, Qatar has paid huge amounts of money in bribes to some officials to get some privileges and international positions. Doha has paid bribes to win the FIFA World Cup 2022. Qatar has earmarked $200 billion to complete the necessary infrastructure to host the FIFA World Cup. However, it has been accused by human rights violations in the wake of the worsening situation of foreign workers.

Human rights organizations have often decried Qatar’s human rights misconduct, especially labor as there are around two million expats in the country. Moreover, Human Rights Watch has urged Qatar to do more to protect the foreign labor there.

Human Rights Watch called on Qatari authorities to impose appropriate restrictions on outdoor work; to protect up to 800,000 foreign workers who are at risk due to hot weather and high humidity.