In order to educate the international public and to provide specific policy recommendations for the government of Qatar, this report addresses the following six sets of human rights issues currently present in Qatar: (1) Lack of Judicial Independence in an authoritarian context; (2) Migrant worker abuse; (3) Systematic violations of civil and political rights; (4) Discrimination and criminalization based on sexual orientation;...

Authorities continued to restrict the right to freedom of expression and silence critical voices. Migrant workers continued to face a range of abuses, including wage theft, forced labour and exploitation, and had inadequate access to grievance and redress mechanisms. Women continued to face discrimination in law and practice.

Significant human rights issues included credible reports of: enforced disappearance; arbitrary arrest; political prisoners; serious restrictions on free expression, including the existence of criminal libel laws; substantial interference with the freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of association, including overly restrictive laws on the organization, funding, or operation of nongovernmental organizations and civil...