After hosting World Cup, Qatar praised by UN rights body for labor law reforms but urged to do more
Geneva (AP): Qatar was praised at the United Nations' top human rights body on Tuesday for improving labor laws before the 2022 World Cup, though it was urged to fully abolish its employment system for migrant workers.
Qatar returned to the Human Rights Council in Geneva for its five-yearly review for the first time since the soccer tournament that needed hundreds of thousands of foreign workers to build stadiums and other essential projects.
Soccer governing body FIFA is set to confirm Saudi Arabia in December as host of the 2034 World Cup — setting up another decade of scrutiny on how human rights are respected while preparing for more teams playing more games in more stadiums.
In Qatar, better labor law protections have been passed in recent years relating to a minimum wage, freedom to change employers and combating forced labor and trafficking, according to the emirate's senior diplomat in Geneva.
Qatar “highly appreciated” the contribution of migrant workers who are “true partners,” said Hend Abdulrahman Al Muftah, its permanent representative to the UN in Geneva, in translated comments.
Qatar was urged — or “recommended,” in the formal diplomatic language of the UN rights body — by French delegate Claire Thuaudet to “pursue the implementation of the labor laws” linked to the 2022 World Cup.
Sierra Leone said Qatar should “consider abolishing all vestiges” of the labor law system known as kafala.
“We commend Qatar for its notable reforms in labor migrant legislation,” the Netherlands delegation said. “These are significant but more effective enforcement and implementations are needed.”
Qatar also was asked to abolish the death penalty by states including Brazil, Ireland, Italy and New Zealand, and decriminalize consenting same-sex relations by Brazil, Mexico and Spain.
Anticipating criticism of Qatar's record on women's rights, Al Muftah said Qatar now had 120 women in diplomatic roles after the number was just three several years ago.
Sweden later recommended Qatar review its laws relating to women's rights in divorce, custody of children and inheritance while Iceland called for abolition of the male guardianship system. Iceland also urged decriminalizing abortion and ensure access to reproductive health services without needing the permission of a male guardian or showing a marriage certificate.
Qatar's delegation pointed to the country rising from outside the top 100 to now rank No. 84 in the global index of press freedom. Top-ranked Norway said Qatar should ensure “civil society, human rights defenders and journalists can operate freely without fear of reprisals.”
Qatar is widely expected to be a strong contender in bidding to host the 2036 Olympics, and concluded its presentation Tuesday with sports ministry official Nasser Ali Al-Khater hailing sports as “an important platform to enhance cooperation between peoples.
“This is what we achieved during the World Cup,” he said. “Qatar shall continue its efforts in the field of sport and empowerment.”
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Three company directors held in Rs 100-crore investment fraud in Kochi
Kochi (Kerala) (PTI): Police on Sunday arrested three directors of a firm accused of cheating hundreds of investors of over Rs 100 crore through a fake investment scheme linked to agricultural tourism here, officials said.
The accused were identified as Muraleedharan, Ashik Murali and Akhil Murali, all natives of Thrissur.
The arrests were made by the Kalamassery police in connection with a fraud involving ATCOS (Agri Tourism Cooperative Society), a firm headquartered at Pathadipalam here.
Police said the company had promised high returns by collecting investments from the public in the agricultural tourism sector, but allegedly cheated hundreds of people and fled with the money.
ATCOS was registered under the Multi-State Cooperative Societies Act and operated 13 branches across various districts in Kerala, besides a branch in Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, officials said.
When investors failed to receive their promised returns or the invested amount, complaints were filed with the police.
Officials said around 54 cases have been registered against the firm in 32 police stations across the state, including 29 cases at the Kalamassery police station alone.
Following instructions from Kochi City Police Commissioner K S Mahesh Kumar, a special investigation team was formed under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Shehensha and Thrikkakara ACP Manoj Kumar.
The team traced the accused to an apartment in Amala Nagar in Thrissur, where they had been hiding after secretly renting the flat, officials said.
The bank accounts of the accused have been frozen, and steps have been initiated to trace their assets, officials said.
Police also conducted a raid at the company’s office at Pathadipalam and seized several documents related to the case.
The accused were produced before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court in Kalamassery, which remanded them to judicial custody and sent them to Kakkanad jail.
Police said they would seek the custody of the accused for further interrogation as the investigation continues.
