‘Who are you working for?’: Jailed activist Malcolm Bidali reveals extent of Qatar suspicion

The Kenyan security guard spoke to Sebastian Castelier and Quentin Muller about being imprisoned after calling for better conditions for those working in Qatar

Malcolm Bidali (Sebastian Castelier)

A Kenyan security guard arrested in Qatar after writing a blog exposing the terrible conditions faced by a large number of foreign workers in the World Cup host nation says the authorities there quizzed him about collaborating with human rights groups.

Malcolm Bidali told The Independent that he was repeatedly asked by state intelligence officers about he had been in contact with. Interviewed by The Independent in the Kenyan capital Nairobi, the 29 year old said he believes Qatar’s State Security Bureau (SSB) suspected him of collaborating with international human rights organisations in an attempt to tarnish the image of the 2022 World Cup host nation.

“Do you know so and so? Do you know that before he went to this organisation, he used to work for this company based in the United Arab Emirates,” Mr Bidali said. “They knew stuff about people,” he added.