August 10 – World Cup whistleblower Abudullah Ibhais was detained by Jordanian security forces weeks before testimony in a US district court, raising fears over his safety.
Ibhais has in the meantime been released, but it is the second time that Jordan has been detained by the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate (GID).
A former media manager of the 2022 World Cup, Ibhais is scheduled to give a voluntary disposition in the US to address allegations of human trafficking and forced labour related to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Ibhais was issued a US visa on August 6.
Ibhais was previously questioned by GID interrogators. They were allegedly acting upon a Qatari request that hasn’t been denied. Jordan and Qatar maintain strong bilateral relations. It is unclear whether Ibhais will be able to travel to the US for the court session.
Earlier this year authorities held his passport and he was prevented from participating in the Oslo Freedom Forum in June and giving his deposition at the US embassy in Norway.
In May, he had spoken at the Nordic Media Days in Bergen about FIFA, Qatar, and media manipulation around the 2022 World Cup when according to Ibhais, authorities detained him, questioned him for hours and confiscated his passport.
He was reportedly told to stop speaking publicly about his imprisonment in Qatar, the treatment of migrant workers, and his criticism of the 2022 World Cup.
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