Amnesty International has taken the Qatari government to task in explaining the whereabouts of Malcolm Bidali, a migrant worker from Kenya.
Bidali has been in Qatar for a while now and works as a security guard besides blogging and activism.
The Kenyan is said to have disappeared on May 4 shortly after making a presentation to civil society groups on the state of migrant workers in Qatar. He used services as a security guard as a case study.
Bidali has for the last three years that he has worked with a coalition of organizations on the rights of migrant workers in Qatar. They include migrant-rights.org, Fairsquare, Human Rights Watch, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
In a statement, Amnesty International said that he has been detained for allegedly breaching Qatari security laws.
“On 11 May, a joint letter was sent to Qatari authorities urging them to investigate Malcom’s disappearance as a matter of urgency. Late on 12 May, the government confirmed that Malcom Bidali has been detained and is under investigation for violating Qatar’s security laws and regulations. However, the authorities have not yet disclosed his whereabouts,” part of the statement read.
The organizations in a joint statement called for transparency as to where he has been detained and for what reasons exactly.
“We urge the authorities to disclose Malcom’s whereabouts and ensure he is protected from torture and other ill-treatment.
“Further, they must outline internationally recognized offense against him and ensure his right to due process is fully respected, including ensuring he has legal assistance. If Malcom is detained solely for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression, he must be released immediately and unconditionally.”
