Homosexuality is outlawed in the conservative Muslim nation, and several football stars are concerned about the rights of fans traveling to the tournament.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) asserts that security authorities in Qatar unfairly arrested and mistreated LGBT Qataris as late as last month.
The report arrives just weeks before the Gulf Arab state hosts the 2022 World Cup for men’s soccer.
Six LGBT Qataris, including four transgender women, one bisexual woman, and one gay male, were jailed between 2019 and 2022, according to HRW interviews.
They reported being held without charges in a subterranean prison in Doha and being subjected to verbal and physical abuse, including kicking and punching.
One person reported spending two months in solitary confinement.
“All six reported that they were coerced by police into signing ‘stop immoral behavior’ vows,” HRW claimed.
The group stated that transgender women detainees were required to undergo conversion treatment at a government-funded clinic.
One of the transgender Qatari women interviewed by HRW disclosed to Reuters that she had been detained multiple times, most recently last summer for several weeks.
The woman stated that the authorities had stopped her because of her appearance or because she was wearing makeup, and that she had been severely beaten and her head shaved.
In a statement, a Qatari official stated that HRW’s charges “contain information that is completely and unambiguously incorrect.”
He added: “Qatar does not accept discrimination, and our policies and procedures are founded on a dedication to the human rights of all individuals.
“The Qatari government neither operates nor authorizes “conversion centers.”
“According to the highest international medical standards, the rehabilitation clinic indicated in the paper assists persons with behavioral diseases such as substance dependence, eating disorders, and mood disorders.”
Homosexuality is outlawed in the conservative Muslim nation, and several football stars are concerned about the rights of fans traveling to the tournament.
Organizers of the World Cup, which begins on 20 November and is being staged for the first time in a Middle Eastern nation, have stated that everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or origin, is welcome, but that public demonstrations of affection are prohibited.
