Qatar slams European Parliament over human rights allegations
The Shura (Consultative) Council in Qatar yesterday expressed its rejection of a recent resolution by the European Parliament regarding human rights in the Gulf country.
The parliament adopted a resolution last Thursday calling on Doha and FIFA “to extend compensation for families of workers who suffered while building World Cup 2022 infrastructure.” It said that there were human rights “abuses” that were believed to have caused the deaths of migrant workers.
The Speaker of the Council, Hassan Bin Abdullah Al-Ghanim, said that the European Parliament’s stance was based on “false allegations and misleading information.” He added that it was continuing its “systematic, suspicious and heinous campaigns targeting the State of Qatar for hosting the World Cup.”
According to Al-Ghanim, “Despite Qatar’s efforts to host the FIFA World Cup following the measures that were agreed by the parliament itself, European leaders have preferred to back those who reject the tournament being hosted by an Arab and Muslim country.” This, the Council Speaker pointed out, is a move that exposes “hypocrisy, double standards and racism.”