Qatar urged to investigate allegations of torture before death of UK tourism exec
Qatari authorities have been urged to investigate alleged torture of a UK tourism executive before his death three years ago.
Mark Bennett was found dead in December 2019 after being arrested 10 weeks earlier at the office of Qatar Airways, his employer.
The Times lifted the lid on alleged horrific treatment the tourism executive suffered, after being brought to Qatar ahead of the World Cup later this year.
During his ordeal he was reportedly subject to being “stripped naked, blasted with high-pressure hoses, slammed against walls and sleep deprivation”. When released, he was stopped from leaving and feared re-arrest.
A Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office spokesperson told Morning Wire “We provided consular support to Marc’s family and raised his case with the Qatari authorities, urging them to thoroughly investigate these serious allegations.”
While Qatari Authorities called his death a suicide, a British coroner said, according tot he Times, there was “no specific evidence of suicidal intent”.
The foreign office said it takes claims of torture very seriously but that it couldn’t investigate claims in other countries.
It closed the case a week before Liz Truss left her role of Foreign Secretary, and became Prime Minister.
Qatar is due to host the 2022 Fifa World Cup later in the year with an estimated 1.2m visitors expected.
The country has been heavily criticised for the building of stadiums, which cost thousands of lives, in addition to its poor record on human rights.