DPA
Qatar’s ruling emir has said at the United Nations that all fans are welcome at the upcoming World Cup in the country, amid fears raised by LGBTQ+ activists.
Homosexuality is illegal in Qatar and can lead to imprisonment for up to seven years.
Human Rights Watch’s Germany director Wenzel Michalski had suggested on Tuesday that homosexual fans should better not attend the World Cup.
He said that while he didn’t expect incidents because the whole world was watching and western homosexual fans should be able to watch games as long as they respected local laws there was no full guarantee for their safety.
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani tried to reassure everyone at the UN General Assembly later Tuesday in New York.
“The Qatari people will receive with open arms football fans from all walks of life” and “without discrimination,” he said, without naming a specific group.
LGBTQ+ rights are one of the human rights areas where Qatar has been criticised, along with the treatment of migrant workers in the country. Qatar has insisted that progress has been made regarding the migrant workers but rights groups say more needs to be done.
The World Cup runs from November 20 to December 18.
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