Qatar forced-labour claims in spotlight

A TOP international law firm that was ordered by the Qatari government to conduct an “independent review” into allegations of modern-day slavery at World Cup football construction sites is also a paid lobbyist for an arm of Qatar’s Al Jazeera television network.

DLA Piper has received more than $300 000 (about R3-million) in lobbying fees this year from Al Jazeera America, according to official filings in the US, raising questions over whether it could conduct an unbiased assessment into allegations that have cast a pall over preparations for the 2022 World Cup.

The review was instigated in response to claims that Nepalese workers were dying at the rate of one a day as they toiled in extreme heat on World Cup infrastructure projects.

The story caused an international outcry and Sepp Blatter, head of the football world governing body Fifa, said on October 4 that Qatar “needs to intervene” to address the concern over its labour practices.

That same day, Ali Ahmed Al Kholeifi, the international affairs director at Qatar’s labour ministry, said DLA Piper had been asked “to undertake an independent review of the allegations and provide a report on their veracity to the ministry”.

The review was given greater urgency early this week when an Amnesty International report alleged that migrant workers were still being “treated like cattle”, living in squalid conditions and often unpaid for several months by contractors.

This week, the Qatari foreign ministry again cited the DLA Piper “independent review” as proof of its commitment to addressing labour concerns.

But hiring DLA Piper to review the allegations has raised eyebrows in Washington, where earlier this year the firm won a contract to lobby for the newly launched Al Jazeera America.

Al Jazeera became a semi- private entity in 2011 to facilitate its global expansion plans and is designated a “private institution of public utility” that remains close to the government of Qatar.

David Weinberg, a senior fellow specialising in Saudi Arabia and Gulf affairs at the Foundation for Defence of Democracies think tank in Washington, said DLA Piper’s appointment risked creating the perception of a conflict of interest.

“This choice risks sullying the Qatar brand and makes them look more interested in a World Cup cover-up than in fighting forced labour,” he said. — © The