Qatari authorities have detained Egyptian blogger and technician Tamer Mabrouk since 21 February over a legal dispute with his employer, according to a statement released on Wednesday by the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). Mabrouk was detained after he filed a lawsuit against his Qatari employer, whom he claims unfairly dismissed him from his job and did not pay his agreed upon salary. As is the case in other Gulf States, Qatar applies the Kafala system, which requires migrant laborers to have a Qatari sponsor (kafeel) who is responsible for the laborer’s legal status and visa. The sponsor is usually the migrant’s employer, as is the case with regards to Tamer Mabrouk. According to ANHRI, the blogger traveled to Qatar on 29 November and was hired as a technician by Abdullah Yusef Al-Ansari, who later tasked Mabrouk with building a website for him. But since early January the employer “began to procrastinate and bargained with Mabrouk in order to make him waive his rights. As a consequence, Mabrouk sued his Qatari guarantor demanding his financial dues as well as his rights with regard to the unfair dismissal he…
Egyptian Blogger Detained in Qatar Over Legal Dispute With Employer, Says Rights Group
March 31, 2016
