Qatar - October 2022

A contentious provision has been added to the conditions for granting foreign media accreditation, ahead of the 2022 Men’s Football World Cup. The provision prohibits journalists from filming or photographing in “residential properties, private businesses and industrial zones”. A previous ban on reporting which would harm “Qatari public discipline, behaviour or Islamic customs” had been lifted. However, with Qatar in the spotlight over its documented mistreatment of LGBTQIA+ individuals and migrant workers, the new provision has been criticized as an attempt to prevent interviews with those groups and thereby coverage of sensitive topics.  

Sources: Reporters Without Borders, The Guardian, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch