Editing Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (section)

==Background==
The Qatari government is notorious for stripping migrant workers of their passports and using them for slave labour. According to the German regional public service television channel WDR, several of its reporters were detained for several days in Qatar for collecting evidence on the conditions of migrant workers.<ref>[https://dohanews.co/german-journalists-detained-in-qatar-while-filming-in-industrial-area/ German journalists detained in Qatar while filming in Industrial Area], ''Doha News''</ref> The Guardian has reported that Nepalese migrants building the infrastructure to host the 2022 World Cup died at a rate of one every two days in 2014.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/14/migrant-workers-dying-qatar-world-cup The hundreds of migrant workers dying as a brand new Qatar is built], ''The Guardian''</ref> Human Rights Watch's “2014 World Report” confirmed the precarious conditions of the migrant workers, who sometimes live in unsanitary conditions and are subject to arbitrary restrictions on the right to leave Qatar, exploitation and abuse by employers.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2014/country-chapters/qatar#:~:text=Migrants%20continue%20to%20experience%20serious,a%20draft%20cyber%20crime%20law. World Report 2014: Qatar], Human Rights Watch</ref>

Tamim runs a Sharia state, meaning that human rights abuses are common. For example, gay couples are imprisoned for up to five years if they can be proven to have had sex,<ref>[https://adsdatabase.ohchr.org/IssueLibrary/QATAR_%20Penal%20Code.pdf Law No. 11 of 2004 Issuing the Penal Code], Qatari Penal Code</ref> and news about LGBT rights is prohibited.<ref>[https://abcnews.go.com/International/exclusive-world-cup-spotlight-qataris-cracks-lgbt-news/story?id=56668874 EXCLUSIVE: Under World Cup spotlight, Qataris crack down on LGBT news coverage], ''ABC News''</ref> While few prosecutions are ever brought against homosexuals, they are usually held without trial for months, tortured and forced to undergo conversion therapy.<ref>[https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/10/24/qatar-security-forces-arrest-abuse-lgbt-people Qatar: Security Forces Arrest, Abuse LGBT People], Human Rights Watch</ref> 

Many women who get pregnant with an illegitimate child are jailed; non-citizens who are forced to have sponsors are usually denied the right to leave Qatar and are therefore forced to seek refuge and counsel from their embassy.<ref>[https://dohanews.co/facing-jail-unmarried-pregnant-women-in-qatar-left/ Facing Jail, Unmarried Pregnant Women in Qatar Left with Hard Choices], ''Doha News''</ref> Sharia law also means that a woman's testimony in court is legally considered to carry less weight than a man's,<ref>[http://www.unicef.org/gender/files/Qatar-Gender-Eqaulity-Profile-2011.pdf Qatar Gender Equality Profile], ''UNICEF''</ref> and people are often flogged for drinking alcohol,<ref>[http://www.refworld.org/docid/4fbe391669.html Amnesty International Annual Report 2012 – Qatar], Amnesty International</ref> which the United Nations considers a violation of the UN Convention Against Torture.<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/refworld/rwmain?docid=453776c75 Conclusions and Recommendations: Qatar], ''UNHCR''</ref> All political parties are outlawed in Qatar, and Qatari legislative elections are not widely considered free or fair.<ref>[https://freedomhouse.org/country/qatar/freedom-world/2020 Qatar: 2020 report], ''Freedom House''</ref> Freedom of the press is heavily restricted, with news agencies critical of the government being censored.<ref>[https://www.resetdoc.org/story/between-diplomacy-and-compromise-promoting-media-freedom-in-qatar-2/ Between Diplomacy and Compromise: Promoting Media Freedom in Qatar], ''Reset DOC''</ref>

In 2014, Tamim passed new cybercrime legislation, which was said to be part of an agreement among Gulf states to criminalize online insults of the region's royal families. The cybercrime law outlaws the spreading of "false news" as well as digital material that violates the country's "social values" or "general order". The legislation made it illegal to incite, aid and facilitate the publication of offensive material. The law has been criticized by those who say that it can be used to strip people of their human rights based on the misinterpretation of online chatter. Amnesty International called the law "a major setback for freedom of expression in Qatar",<ref>[https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2014/09/qatar-new-cybercrimes-law-endangers-freedom-expression/ Qatar: New cybercrimes law endangers freedom of expression], Amnesty International</ref> while other critics suggest that the new law will violate provisions of the country's constitution that protect civil liberties.<ref>[http://dohanews.co/former-minister-qatars-cybercrime-law-stems-gcc-security-pact/ Former minister: Qatar’s cybercrime law result of GCC security pact], ''Doha News''</ref>