Protection of human rights defenders & media
Initiative description: Taking reasonable steps to contribute to the protection of human rights defenders and media representatives who are working or reporting on situations linked to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™-related activities from undue restrictions or interference by third parties, including the host state, commercial affiliates, service providers and suppliers, publishers, broadcasters, confederations and FIFA member associations.
Enabling legislation
Taking effective steps to contribute to the protection of human rights defenders and media representatives working or reporting on situations linked to FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™-related activities has been a priority for the tournament organisers since Qatar won the bid in 2010.
Accordingly, the tournament organisers collaborated extensively with human rights stakeholder groups over the years to assess potential risks and review existing legislation that could lead to curtailing the freedom of human rights defenders to receive and impart information. The main objectives of these discussions were to:
ensure a mutual understanding and alignment between all tournament organisers with respect to the protection of rights; and
ensure relevant legislation was implemented in a way that would not contradict Qatar’s international human rights commitments for the tournament.
As a result, the legislation that was developed to regulate specific tournament matters set the legal foundation protecting anyone associated with the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, including human rights defenders and media representatives, in line with FIFA’s requirements on safety and security standards.
Furthermore, tournament organisers discussed and aligned on how to react to specific behaviour from fans and other persons expected to attend the tournament. This included behaviour such as the staging of protests, pitch invasions, and fan-to-fan violence. A procedure was also developed to address situations where journalists or media representatives were perceived to violate regulations applicable to them. These procedures were integrated in the pre-tournament training for relevant staff involved in the tournament delivery, including those responsible for safety and security.
Human Rights Grievance Mechanism
FIFA also engaged closely with human rights defenders in the development and communication of its Human Rights Grievance Mechanism. Since 2017, FIFA has dealt with a number of cases where human rights defenders or journalists had their rights to operate freely limited in what they considered unjustified ways in relation to the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™. These cases concerned labour rights activists facing repercussions after speaking up, journalists being hindered from filming in certain locations, or activists being banned from displaying specific slogans at matches. In all cases, FIFA collaborated with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC) and other institutions to further investigate the grievances and follow up on a fair resolution.
For more information, please visit the FIFA human rights grievance mechanism and the human rights advisor for security web pages of this report.
Ongoing engagement
Throughout the tournament preparations, the organisers engaged closely with human rights defenders with a view to advancing human rights in relation to the tournament. The engagement involved discussions on particular cases researched by activists, and consultations on specific issues and initiatives of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ Sustainability Strategy, as well as on wider debates in relation to human rights and the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ at an international level.