Dubai: Two British-Nepalese human rights researchers who were held by Qatari authorities for questioning on their work in the country were released on early on Tuesday, Gulf News has learned.
Krishna Upadhyaya travelled to Doha with colleague Ghimire Gundev, 36, on August 27 to film a documentary on the treatment and working conditions of Nepalese labourers in Qatar as they prepare to host the 2022 World Cup.
Upadhyaya’s wife, Sarita Poudyal, speaking to Gulf News, said: “They were released at 12:30am, he called me and said he had been let go and then updated his Facebook to inform his friends.
“We’re so relieved because you never know what can happen in these situations.”
“They are staying at [a hotel] in Doha and said they’ll be home in two days time but didn’t confirm a date and time,” she added.
The pair were due to return four days later but did not board their plane. After their families contacted the British Foreign Minister Philip Hammond and Prime Minister David Cameron, Qatar finally confirmed that they had detained the two men on Sunday.
A statement on Saturday by Qatar’s ministry of foreign affairs said the men were being investigated for “violating the law of the land” and that security forces had treated the men in accordance with international human rights law.
Upadhyaya and Gundev, who worked for the Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD), are now free to return home after cooperating with police.
