It seems that those who were concerned about how a middle eastern country could handle the media in a highly publicized event will end up being right. Today, BBC journalist Mark Lobel shared his experience with Qatari authorites, which detained him under a bogus "trespassing" charge, stripping him and his crew of all their equipment and keeping them under police custody for over 48 hours.
Lobel narrated what his team did during his first days in Qatar, where they were invited by the prime minister's office to see a new accomodation for migrant workers, only to be incarcerated while they were gathering additional material for their story.
"A dozen security officers frisked us in the street, shouting at us when we tried to talk. They took away our equipment and hard drives and drove us to their headquarters. We were never accused of anything directly, instead they asked over and over what we had done and who we had met. One of the interrogators brought out a paper folder of photographs which proved they had been trailing me in cars and on foot for two days since the moment I'd arrived," Lobel narrated.
After being questioned in a "hostile" way, one of the arresting officers denied a phone call to Lobel, stating his detention was being dealt as a matter of "national security".
"It was as if he felt we were treating his country like something to be gawped at, suggesting we thought of trips to see controversial housing and working conditions as a form of entertainment. In perfect English and with more than a touch of malice, he threatened us with another four days in prison, to teach us a lesson," Lobel ellaborated.
Afteir being under police custody for two days, the group was allowed to join a PR group set up by the prime minister's office, but none of their equipment was returned. The BBC has issued a statement backing up Lobel and his colleagues.
"The Qatari authorities have made a series of conflicting allegations to justify the detention, all of which the team rejects. We are pressing the Qatari authorities for a full explanation and for the return of the confiscated equipment," can be read on the press release.
FIFA officers, who are closely working with the Qatari government, claimed that this issue will not go overlooked.
"Any instance relating to an apparent restriction of press freedom is of concern to Fifa and will be looked into with the seriousness it deserves," a FIFA spokesman added.
Migrant workers helping build the state of the art venues that Qatari officers promised to win the bid have been a matter of concern for some time now, since most of the promises made to them were not fulfilled, and their living conditions are not ideal.
