Sep 30, 2022

Mark Bennett ‘suicide’ - FCDO must increase travel warnings says Radha Stirling.

Brits are not safe to visit or work in Qatar

Detained in Doha founder Radha Stirling issued a statement on Mark Bennett's tragic case:

"The government of Qatar and locally owned companies act with complete impunity. From top earning employees and entrepreneurs to domestic workers and labourers, everyone is at risk. The slightest perceived infraction can land people in rat infested prisons where they may be subject to grave human rights violations. Even if released, they will remain on a travel ban indefinitely and be kept within the confines of the Gulf island.

The country has not been a tourism hub until now, but we only need to look at what happened to Conor Howard to know they are ill equipped to deal respectfully with foreign nationals. When it comes to women’s rights, the government of Qatar was forced to apologise to women onboard a flight to Australia after stripping and intimately searching them without their consent.

It is astonishing that Qatar is hosting the World Cup and that hundreds of thousands of people will be put at risk by the authoritarian regime. It is even more shocking that celebrities have agreed to act as paid PR agents.

Marc Bennet’s tragic and appalling case warrants urgent intervention by the Foreign Office. Brits are not safe to visit or work in Qatar when we have serious human rights violations on a consistent basis, and the country has no right to host an event that will put the safety of Brits at risk. The FCDO has a duty to increase travel warnings to citizens and to take diplomatic efforts to ensure this never happens again".