UA: 222/14 Index: MDE 22/007/2014 Qatar
Date: 4 September 2014
URGENT ACTION
UK NATIONALS DISAPPEAR IN QATAR, RISK TORTURE
UK nationals Krishna Prasad Upadhyaya and Ghimire Gundev have disappeared in Qatar
while researching the conditions of migrant workers. They are believed to have been
detained by the Qatari authorities and may be at risk of torture and other ill-treatment.
Human rights researcher Krishna Prasad Upadhyaya, 52, and photographer Ghimire Gundev, 36, both UK
nationals, arrived in Qatar on 27 August for work focused on the conditions of Nepalese workers. Krishna
Upadhyaya told a friend in Norway three days later that Qatari police were following and harassing both men. Their
employer, The Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD), contacted a foreign diplomat on 31 August
who confirmed that he had been with the men the previous evening and that they were being followed.
On 31 August, Krishna Upadhyaya checked-out of his hotel in the capital, Doha, but remained in the reception
area. He told his friend in Norway he felt it unsafe to travel to the airport for his flight. While he is reported to have
checked-in for his return flight to Norway, the airline KLM confirmed to GNRD that he never boarded the plane.
Amnesty International has written to the Minister of the Interior, the Director of the Human Rights Bureau and the
ambassador in London in connection with the men. GNRD has contacted the UK embassy in Doha and the Office
of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The men’s families are understood to have made complaints to
the UK police in connection with their disappearance.
Please write immediately in English, Arabic or your own language:

Urging the Qatari authorities to publicly clarify the whereabouts of Krishna Upadhyaya and Gundev Ghimire
and ensure that both men have access to their families and employer, lawyers of their choice, any medical
attention they may require, and diplomatic representation;

Urging them to release the men if they are not to be charged with an internationally recognizable criminal
offence and brought to trial promptly in proceedings fully meeting international fair trial standards;

Calling on them to ensure that neither man is subjected to torture or other ill-treatment in custody:
PLEASE SEND APPEALS BEFORE 16 OCTOBER 2014 TO:
Minister of Interior
His Excellency Sheikh Abdullah bin
Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani
Minister of the Interior
Ministry of the Interior
PO Box 920
Doha, State of Qatar
Fax: +974 4432 2927
Email: info@moi.gov.qa
Salutation: Your Excellency
Attorney General
Dr Ali bin Fetais Al Marri
PO Box 705
Doha, State of Qatar
Fax: +974 4484 3211
Email: info@pp.gov.qa
Salutation: Your Excellency
And copies to:
Head of state (Amir of Qatar)
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al
Thani
PO Box 923
Doha, State of Qatar
Fax: +974 4436 1212
Also send copies to diplomatic representatives accredited to your country. Please insert local diplomatic addresses below:
Mr Khalid Rashid Al-Hamoudi Al-Mansouri, Embassy of Qatar, 1 South Audley Street W1K 1 NB
Fax +44207493266 Email ambassador@qatarembassy.org.uk Salutation Your Excellency
Please check with your section office if sending appeals after the above date.
URGENT ACTION
UK NATIONALS DISAPPEAR IN QATAR, RISK TORTURE
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
The treatment of migrant workers in Qatar has become a focus of attention for many international media outlets and the work of
many human rights organizations, including Amnesty International. In April 2014, Amnesty International issued a report on
foreign domestic workers in Qatar, 'My sleep is my break': Exploitation of migrant domestic workers in Qatar
(http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE22/004/2014/en) and in November 2013 the organization issued another report, The
dark side of migration: Spotlight on Qatar’s construction sector ahead of the World Cup
(http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/MDE22/010/2013/en)
In 2013, the Qatari authorities detained two German filmmakers for around 24 hours in connection with their work on migrant
workers.
The Global Network for Rights and Development is an international NGO based in Norway. Established in 2008, it is a research
and campaigning organization. It advocates the adoption of strategies and policies that promote sustainable human
development and eradication of poverty. It has its headquarters in Norway and eight regional offices, including two in Africa and
two in the Middle East, in Amman, Jordan and Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Krishna Upadhyaya’s family issued a statement on 3 September, saying that he is a father of two and that “he has been working
for the freedom and rights of people for more than 20 years”. They added that his work “on bonded labourers led him to Doha,
Qatar where he was working to complete a report on overworked labourers living a life of misery and destitution”.
Ghimire Gundev’s family statement, issued 4 September, saying that he is also a father of two and lives in London, UK. He is a
photographer and video camera operator. They say that he has been involved in social welfare efforts in Nepal and that his
family is from the foothills of the Himalaya Mountains.
In January 2014, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers undertook a research
mission to Qatar. She thanked the Qatari government for its cooperation but identified a wide range of flaws with respect to the
administration of justice.
Names: Krishna Prasad Upadhyaya, Ghimire Gundev
Gender m/f: m
UA: 222/14 Index: MDE 22/007/2014 Issue Date: 4 September 2014