Journalists arrested while filming 'critical' documentary on Qatar WC stadium workers

Journalists, who were filming a documentary on the plight of migrant workers ahead of the 2022 World Cup, were reportedly arrested and detained in Qatar for 14 hours.

A German television crew said that they were only allowed to leave the country five days later without their laptops, mobile phones and filming equipments, which were sent on four weeks later with all data erased, reported the BBC.

Reporter Florian Bauer revealed that they were also interrogated by the police and the intelligence service.

Qatari authorities claimed that the arrests in March were made because the TV crew did not have permission to film in the country and not because of the content of the documentary that was being shot.

The documentary titled, 'Sold Football - Sepp Blatter and the power of Fifa' by German broadcaster ARD, was screened on Monday.

Amnesty International had said that workers were being treated like 'animals', and urged football's world governing body FIFA to press Qatar to improve the condition of foreign labourers.

A reputed British newspaper revealed that 400 Nepalese migrants had died on building sites in Qatar.