Amnesty International (AI) on Monday urged FIFA to halt the bidding process for World Cup 2034 unless Saudi Arabia conducts major human rights reforms. The human rights organization also demands a more credible human rights strategy for the 2030 World Cup in Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Several human rights and sports organizations have already demonstrated concerns regarding the human rights assessment for Saudi Arabia. Amnesty International argues the assessment disregards several human rights, including freedom of expression and LGBTI discrimination. Moreover, the assessment does not take into consideration international obligations such as the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the rights of migrant workers. Migrant workers are an important point of concern. As Steve Cockburn, AI Head of Labour Rights and Sport points out:
Saudi Arabia will require a vast number of migrant workers to deliver its World Cup ambitions, yet there are no commitments to reform the country’s exploitative “Kafala” sponsorship system, establish a minimum wage for non-citizens, permit them to join trade unions or introduce new measures to prevent worker deaths.
In its report, Amnesty International also commented on the human rights risks of the 2030 World Cup. Steve Cockburn stated, “Morocco, Portugal and Spain must take their human rights responsibilities far more seriously.” It highlighted problems of freedom of expression, discrimination, and risks of hindering labour rights in all three countries. According to Amnesty International, the human rights commitments of Portugal, Spain and Morocco do not address all human rights at risk.
Other organizations such as Human Rights Watch have also echoed these concerns regarding Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the World Cup bid. As of October 2024, 11 organizations released a joint-communication with a list of concerns regarding the human rights assessment of Saudi Arabia’s bid.
FIFA will submit its evaluation of the bids in the coming months.
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On November 11, 1991, prosecutors from the United States and the United Kingdom announced their indictments in the bombing of a passenger airplane over Lockerbie, Scotland. A Scottish court convicted Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi, allegedly a former Libyan intelligence official, of the 270 murders in 2001. Read documents from the Lockerbie bombing trial.
