Amnesty International Portugal was “astonished” this Friday by the statements by the President of the Republic on human rights in Qatar, on the eve of the 2022 Soccer World Cup, asking him not to attend the Portugal-Ghana match on November 24.
“I was astonished by the President of the Republic’s comment, because he is a person we highly esteem, and a position we highly respect. This respect and esteem comes from the fact that Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa is usually at the forefront in the defense of fundamental rights, of human rights”, recalls the executive director of Amnesty, Pedro A. Neto.
For Lusa, the leader of the non-governmental organization highlights Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa as a “person with great sensitivity, very close and attentive to human rights problems”, and attributes the statements to the “enthusiasm of the moment, at the end of the game and ‘flash interview’, in which he wanted to talk about sports”.
“Qatar does not respect human rights. All the construction of the stadiums and such…, but, anyway, let’s forget about this. It’s reprehensible, but let’s focus on the team. We started very well and ended very well,” said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in the quick interview area at the Estádio José Alvalade after Portugal beat Nigeria 4-0 on Thursday.
Amnesty also renews the call of the “Civic Front”, an association that appealed to the President, but also to the Prime Minister, António Costa, and the President of the Assembly of the Republic, Augusto Santos Silva, to boycott the event in Qatar.
Rebelo de Sousa explained, this Thursday, that he will be present at the Portugal-Ghana match, the first match of the Portuguese team in the group stage, scheduled for the 24th of this month.
“There is no reason for the president, the prime minister and the president of AR to go to Qatar on behalf of Portugal, because Portugal is very fond of football, but I want to believe that it is not in collusion with human rights abuses. in that country”, underlines Pedro A. Neto, asking that the sovereign bodies not “legitimize and validate the Qatari authorities”.
Although the Qatari authorities deny it, several organizations point to thousands of deaths in that country between 2010 and 2019 in work related to the World Cup, with a report by the British newspaper The Guardian, from February this year, citing the figure at 6,500. deaths, a figure that many consider conservative.
In addition to the unexplained deaths, the ‘kafala’ labor system and forced labor, in extreme heat and with long working hours, among other attacks, have been remembered and exposed for years by non-governmental organizations and independent reports.
In recent years, numerous organizations and institutions have also called for the defense of the rights of supporters, and others, belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, taking into account the persecution to which they are subjected in Qatar.
Several national teams, such as Denmark, Australia or the United States, have actively positioned themselves against abuse or in favor of the inclusion and protection of both migrants and the LGBTQIA+ community, both residents in the country and those who They intend to travel to watch the game. games.
The Men’s Soccer World Cup will be held between November 20 and December 18, with the Portuguese team classified and placed in group H, along with Uruguay, Ghana and South Korea.
Source: TSF
