For Immediate Release/ITV News Video 2nd Oct: Qatar Court Overturns Andy Hall’s Conviction, Prison Sentence, and Fine at Doha Appeal Hearing
The Doha Court of First Instance and Misdemeanours at Al Sadd Court, 93 Al Sadd Street, Doha, has on 30th September 2025 upheld Andy Hall’s recent appeal against his one-month prison sentence and 1,000 Qatari Riyal fine imposed in absentia against him in 2022, days before the 2022 Football World Cup Final in Doha, Qatar.
ITV News Video 2nd Oct 2025: Human rights activist’s Qatar conviction quashed
Andy Hall, from Lincolnshire, was accused of defamation because of his work on the rights of migrant workers.
The conviction was based on false allegations that Andy Hall made defamatory statements about human rights violations by a Qatari company when forwarding two email complaints to the government, just days before the 2022 Football World Cup begun in Doha.
The appeals court judgement (original Arabic, Google Translate to English)
According to information recieved by Andy Hall from his Qatar based lawyer on 30th September 2025, the conviction against Hall was overturned with immediate effect and the criminal case against him, over which he was arbitrarily detained at Doha Airport on 1st July 2025, has now been finalised with his acquittal.
UK barrister and Director of Justice Abroad Michael Polak, who is the representing Andy Hall in this case alongside Qatari lawyer Zain Al Idrissi were very pleased to have secured this result.
Michael Polak stated ‘The case against Mr Hall involved criminal defamation, an offence which has been removed in many countries. This offence has the potential to have a chilling effect on proper discussion and the provision of information. In Mr Hall’s case, he solely forwarded a complaint of modern slavery to the bodies which had been set up to, and had even invited such complaints to be provided to them. This case really encapsulates the danger of criminal defamation. The original trial against Mr Hall happened in his absence as he was never served with any notice of the hearing and he was therefore unable to defence himself. We are very pleased that the Doha Court today allowed the appeal and expunged his prison sentence and fine which will allow Mr Hall to continue in his valuable work against modern slavery around the world.’
For Immediate Release (Justice Abroad) 6th Oct 2025: Human Rights Activist Andy Hall’s Qatar Conviction Quashed
Justice Abroad is pleased to announce that the conviction of British human rights activist Andy Hall, for criminal defamation has been quashed by the Doha Criminal Court. Mr Hall, who works around the world combatting modern slavery, had been convicted in absentia in Qatar in 2022 and only found out about the conviction when he was detained at Doha Airport on 1 July 2025 and informed that he had been convicted and sentenced to a 1-month term of imprisonment and a fine despite never being informed of the case.
The case was handled by UK barrister and Director of Justice Abroad, Michael Polak, who represented Mr Hall, alongside Qatari lawyer Zain Al Idrissi. The legal team welcomed the Court’s decision, which overturns the conviction with immediate effect and finalises the criminal case with an acquittal. This will allow Mr Hall to continue travelling for his important work without fear of arrest.
Mr Hall’s conviction was based on false allegations that he had made defamatory statements about human rights violations by a Qatari company, after he forwarded two email complaints to government bodies, who were charged with receiving slavery complaints, just days before the 2022 FIFA World Cup commenced in Doha.
Michael Polak stated:
“The case against Mr Hall involved criminal defamation, an offence which has been removed in many countries. This offence has the potential to have a chilling effect on proper discussion and the provision of information. In Mr Hall’s case, he solely forwarded a complaint of modern slavery to the bodies which had been set up to and had even invited such complaints to be provided to them.
This case really encapsulates the danger of criminal defamation. The original trial against Mr Hall happened in his absence as he was never served with any notice of the hearing, and he was therefore unable to defend himself. We are very pleased that the Doha Court today allowed the appeal and expunged his prison sentence and fine which will allow Mr Hall to continue in his valuable work against modern slavery around the world.”
The ITV News video report on this development is available here: https://www.itv.com/watch/news/human-rights-activists-qatar-conviction-quashed/35qvtp0
Further background information on the case is available at: https://fundrazr.com/fundrazerforandyhall and at https://andyjhall.org/2025/10/02/for-immediate-release-itv-news-video-2nd-oct-qatar-court-overturns-andy-halls-conviction-prison-sentence-and-fine-at-doha-appeal-hearing/
Justice Abroad’s previous statement on this case is available here: https://www.justiceabroad.co.uk/news/justice-abroad-is-representing-labour-rights-activist-andy-hall-to-overturn-unjust-in-absentia-conviction-in-qatar
Notes for the Press
For comments on this case by the lawyer, Michael Polak, please email contact@justiceabroad.co.uk
For comments by Andy Hall, please email andy@andyjhall.org or message/call +44 745 626 3653 (Phone and WhatsApp)
Michael Polak
Michael Polak is an international barrister based in London. He practises in international, criminal, and human rights law from Church Court Chambers. Michael is also a Director of Justice Abroad which helps people who need assistance dealing with legal proceedings overseas as well as working on human rights advocacy for groups and individuals. He is chair of the group Lawyers for Uyghur Rights and was awarded the International Bar Association’s Outstanding Young Lawyer Award for 2021.
OCTOBER 6, 2025
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23 Aug 2025: Trouw – Activist Andy Hall arrested three years after the World Cup in Qatar (English Version)
British human rights activist Andy Hall was recently arrested in Qatar for sending emails about “modern slavery” surrounding the World Cup. He narrowly avoided jail. “I didn’t expect anything from Qatar, but the fact that my own government ignored me made me furious.”
He sensed something was wrong early that morning at the Qatar Airways check-in desk. British human rights activist Andy Hall was planning to fly to Qatar on July 1st for a brainstorming session with a colleague. They wanted to devise a strategy for companies involved in exploitative practices during the construction of the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia. But the flight attendant received an error message when she screened Hall’s passport. He had never seen this before. He strongly advised against taking the plane to Doha. Hall, on the phone: “I texted back: ‘No, no, no, I didn’t do anything wrong.’” He suddenly got the green light from the flight attendant and boarded last.
As a human rights activist, Hall focuses primarily on the issue of forced migrant labor and the involvement of Western companies in the supply chain. Around the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, he investigated how Nepalese migrant workers were working there without the proper visas and were being paid excessively for employment in the Gulf state. They worked, among other things, on stadium construction for the tournament.
Fierce discussions
The Briton also worked for a time for a London law firm that conducted ethics reviews for the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, the World Cup tournament organizers. After Hall discovered that the committee wasn’t dealing ethically with migrant workers and became embroiled in heated discussions with committee members on LinkedIn, he was, according to his own account, dismissed from his position at the firm.
Hall’s lawyer’s premonition proved correct. After landing in Doha, he was again stopped at customs and taken into custody. Three days before the 2022 World Cup final, a Qatari judge sentenced him in absentia to a month in prison for defamation under the cybercrime law. Hall knew nothing about this. His “offense” was forwarding several emails to the Qatari government that Hall had received from a whistleblower a month before the World Cup. These emails stated that a Qatari company had engaged in “modern slavery” around the tournament. The arrest demonstrates how Qatar continues to pursue critics three years after the World Cup, which was controversial due to human rights violations. Hall’s case is unique, says Nick McGeehan, director of Fairsquare, a human rights organization focused on the Middle East.
I said I wasn’t going to sign anything because I couldn’t read the document.
He’s familiar with the case. Before the World Cup, journalists and activists were regularly arrested in Qatar, says McGeehan, often under the cybercrime law. This is the first arrest since the tournament, as far as he knows. In correspondence between Hall and the British government, the latter calls the arrest “an attempt to deter activists from speaking out for migrants in Qatar.” After his arrest, Hall was taken to the public prosecutor’s office at the airport, next to customs. There, he says, he was pressured by officers to sign a document written in Arabic. “I said I wasn’t going to sign anything because I couldn’t read it.”
That document, obtained by Trouw, states that Hall, by signing it, allegedly acknowledges that he has been sentenced to a month in prison for defamation. Correspondence with the British embassy in Doha confirms that he was also denied a lawyer and interpreter, despite repeated requests.
His salvation, says Hall, was a visit to the restroom. From that cubicle, he texted as many people as he could: the International Labour Organization, colleagues from other NGOs, his lawyer. They asked him for a photo of the document, which his guards only subsequently allowed him to take. Hall had already circulated the photo when the guards suddenly ordered him to delete it. His contacts strongly advised him not to sign, or he would go straight to prison. While Hall was detained for hours at the airport, his arrest became known to the British media. “Someone texted me: the BBC tweeted about your case.” He learned that the BBC, The Guardian, AP, and AFP had contacted the Qatari government with questions about the arrest. Not much later, Hall suddenly got his passport back. Whether he wanted to go to a hotel in Doha or catch the first plane out of the country; it didn’t matter to the prosecutor. As long as he left.
No Rule of Law
Correspondence with the British government, seen by Trouw, confirms that the Qataris released Hall because of his “international plea for help.” “It really doesn’t make sense that they suddenly released me because of that. It shows that Qatar still doesn’t have a functioning rule of law,” says Hall. He is highly critical of the British government’s role. After his arrest, he contacted the British embassy in Doha by phone. According to the British Foreign Office’s report of that conversation, the embassy told him that its staff lacked the expertise to provide legal advice. Arranging an interpreter and a lawyer was “unrealistic.” He would be better off asking friends and family to engage a Qatari lawyer. According to Hall’s lawyer, Michael Polak, it is “the British government’s duty to ensure that its citizens are not discriminated against in a state that has convicted them in their absence.” According to Hall, the embassy also advised him to sign the document and go to Qatari prison. Then the embassy could have sent someone on a “welfare visit.” In England, it’s common practice to contact the Member of Parliament from your own constituency when someone needs help abroad. That person didn’t respond to Hall’s emails for weeks. Hall attributes this to the MP’s business interests in the Middle East. “I know how doing business works in that region. If you’ve invested a lot of money there, you prefer to solve problems quietly.”
“I wasn’t scared at all, I was surprised”
“The British government irritates me more than Qatar’s. I expected nothing from Qatar, but the fact that my own government ignored me made me furious.”
“It was clear that the British government did not want any problems with Qatar.”
Hall’s case is reminiscent of that of Abdullah Ibhais, the former communications manager for the World Cup organizers. He was arrested on a fabricated charge of fraud after Ibhais refused to cover up labor protests. He asked the Dutch embassy for help eight times, but received none. Behind the scenes, internal documents revealed, trade interests and the relationship with Qatar played a significant role in preventing him from intervening. “For the British government, trade is also the number one priority.
Moreover, Qatar mediates between Hamas and Israel. It was clear that the British government didn’t want any problems with Qatar,” says Hall. Fearing that the Qataris would change their minds and detain him for a month after all, Hall took the first available plane from Doha to Bangkok. He asked if this was formally a deportation, which is usually done with foreigners in Qatar after a criminal case. The Qataris told Hall that it wasn’t and that he had been given a safe conduct. The fact that the British government continues to insist in correspondence that Hall was deported proves to him that they were never really interested in his case.
Arbitrary detention
It’s striking that several lawyers declined to represent him in an appeal against his conviction, according to the correspondence, because Hall sought media attention. They prefer to work without public attention. The British government is also unwilling to assist him in appealing his conviction. Hall plans to do so with the help of a Qatari lawyer. This week, he also filed a complaint with the United Nations against the Qatari state for arbitrary detention. He is financing the legal costs through crowdfunding. Filing an appeal is important, says Hall, because such a conviction would hinder his work as a human rights activist.
“It damages my credibility. But it’s also a middle finger and a worrying signal to the international community, whistleblowers, and activists. This is what happens when you speak out.”
For Immediate Release 17th July 2025: Justice Abroad is representing Labour Rights Activist Andy Hall to Overturn Unjust In Absentia Conviction in Qatar
Justice Abroad is representing Andy Hall, a renowned British labour rights activist. Andy was seized by local authorities on arrival in Doha, Qatar on 1st July 2025. He was then detained in relation to a conviction and prison sentence imposed on him in absentia in the country. The case concerned his passing on information in relation to alleged modern slavery to authorities and FIFA days before the World Cup 2022 began.
Andy Hall has spent over 20 years investigating and exposing forced labour, human trafficking, and abuse of migrant workers, particularly across Asia, the Middle East and the United Kingdom. His campaigning and corporate engagement on this issue has contributed significantly to accountability, government reform, and global awareness of migrant worker rights issues.
Mr Hall only found out that he had been tried in absentia days before the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and sentenced to 1 month’s imprisonment and a 1,000 Qatari riyal fine, when he arrived at Doha Airport on 1 July 2025 and was unexpectedly detained and threatened with immediate imprisonment. Mr Hall had never been informed about the trial which took place and his conviction in absence can be seen as an attempt to deter activists from speaking out for workers in Qatar.
Andy’s conviction was based on him simply forwarding on emails that had asked for attention to be paid to workers rights issues in Qatar.
Mr Hall was denied access to a lawyer or an independent translator whilst Qatari Government officials attempted to force him to sign a document that he could not read and which had not been translated into English. After an international outcry, Mr Hall was eventually released from detention at Doha Airport, and he immediately left the country. However, he now has an unjust criminal conviction under Qatar’s cybercrime laws, which could hinder his advocacy work around the world and prevent him from assisting individuals and groups in Qatar to help protect workers there.
Qatar ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights in 2018. Article 14(3)(d) of the ICCPR provides that a person facing a criminal charge ‘has the right to be tried in his presence, and to defend himself in person or through legal assistance of his own.’
Justice Abroad’s Director, Barrister Michael Polak is representing Mr Hall with the aim of removing this unjust conviction. He stated the following ‘Andy’s work for the most vulnerable around the world is inspiring and countries like Qatar should be welcoming him to help them to improve the conditions of workers there, rather than attempting to stifle his work. States like Qatar have the resources to be leaders in workers’ rights and unjust convictions such as Andy’s, carried out in secret courts, do no credit to the country. Qatar has ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and convictions in absentia, such as Andy’s, put them in breach of their international obligations under this treaty as well as customary international law, which protects the right to a fair trial, if they refuse to expunge Andy’s conviction.’
Mr Hall is raising funds for his legal defence and the travel involved in seeking to overturn his conviction. He hopes that his fight will inspire people around the world to take a stand and to speak out for those who are the most vulnerable. You can support this campaign here.
Notes for the Press
For comments on this case by the lawyers or Mr Hall please email contact@justiceabroad.co.uk or andy@andyjhall.org or call +44 20 7936 3637 or +44 741 519 1591 (Michael Polak, Justice Abroad), +9779823486634 or +447456263653 (Andy Hall)
Andy Hall is a human rights defender and independent migrant worker rights specialist, researcher/investigator and activist, based in Asia since 2005. Born in the United Kingdom, he lived in Thailand from 2005 to 2016, during which time he became an internationally recognised human rights defender, migration specialist and campaigner on migrant rights, empowerment and modern-day slavery within international supply chains. He frequently travels to address committees and plenary sessions of the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg, as a recognized and expert voice on migration, human rights and forced labour issues.
British migrant rights defender Andy Hall (centre) speaks to the media at the Bangkok South Criminal Court after the verdict was announced in a criminal case brought against him by Natural Fruit Company Ltd for criminal defamation and violation of the Computer Crimes Act, in Bangkok, on Sept 20, 2016.
Renowned British migrant workers’ rights advocate Andy Hall has just found out that he was tried and sentenced in absentia, just days before the end of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, to one-month in prison and a 1,000 Qatari fine in Qatar. The conviction was based on false allegations that he made defamatory statements about human rights violations by a Qatari company when forwarding two email complaints.
Andy was never notified of the charges or the trial and sentencing that occurred without him being present, whilst the World Cup 2022 was being played, until he was unexpectedly detained and threatened with immediate imprisonment on arrival in Doha at the airport on 1st July 2025.
Andy is now seeking to raise €10,000 to hire a legal team in Doha to mount an appeal against his conviction. He wants quickly to clear his name so he can continue to pursue freely his strong commitment to defend the inalienable right to report on alleged human rights abuses, particularly those concerning forced labour and vulnerable migrant workers.
Main Story
On arrival in Doha, Qatar on 1st July at 1030am, I – Andy Hall, a migrant worker rights specialist — was detained for seven hours whilst being informed of a judgment and a one-month prison sentence handed down against me in absentia for a crime I didn’t even know that I was accused of and that I did not commit.
The allegations made, according to the judgement I was shown at the airport, were that I had made defamatory statements about a Qatari company engaging in modern slavery and forced labour in the lead-up to the 2022 FIFA World Cup. I did not even write the emails the Court and prosecution relied on in pursuing this criminal case against me.
I never received any formal notice of the investigation, charges, or trial relating to this unjust conviction. What’s more, when I was detained on 1st July on arrival in Doha, I wasn’t able to immediately access in person a lawyer, an independent translator or any consular assistance from the UK government.
At the airport, I was continually pressured to sign legal documents in Arabic—a language I do not understand—under threat of immediate imprisonment if I refused. Legal experts advised me remotely that signing these documents could have triggered detention, so I politely refused and stood my ground.
Thankfully, perhaps due also to pressure from diplomats, lawyers, activists and UN officials, I was eventually released from detention, my passport returned to me and I was told that I was allowed to leave Qatar. I bought a new flight ticket and immediately flew out of the country, absolutely confused and exhausted, on the same day as I had arrived.
But this saga is not over. I have on my record an unjust criminal conviction under Qatar’s cybercrime laws. This conviction may also prevent my freedom of movement around the world for my important work to defend migrant rights. A criminal conviction can also trigger other unpredictable negative consequences.
So now, I urgently need to raise at least €10,000 to fund legal representation in Qatar to challenge this baseless conviction and make a point that reporting or advocating on modern slavery issues is not a crime.
Why This Matters
This is not just my personal ordeal. This case is emblematic of shrinking space for human rights defenders globally. It’s about dangers of broad-reaching cybercrime and defamation laws. It highlights perils of allowing trials in absentia, denying unjustly accused activists, researchers and reporters the opportunity as free human being to fully defend against convictions with access to independent lawyers, translators and consular support.
This conviction must be challenged and overturned – not just to clear my name, but to ensure good faith whistleblowing on modern slavery issues in the public interest with good intention is never criminalised.
This campaign is part of my constructive and non-confrontational, peaceful efforts to seek justice and transparency from understanding Qatari authorities to overturn the unfounded judgment and sentence against me. This can ensure lessons are learnt in Qatar to prevent such abuses occurring in future too.
I am asking for your help to ensure I can build a credible legal defense, with experienced counsel and proper translation, to challenge this verdict fairly in court in Doha, Qatar.
How Funds Will Be Used
Legal consultation and representation in Qatar
Certified translation of legal documents
Filing and administrative court costs
Travel and logistics, if safe and necessary
Communications support to ensure transparency and updates
Advoacy support to help build and run my campaign and submit relevant documentation
Any funds remaining will be utilized for my migrant worker rights advocacy work
These funds will allow me to appeal the verdict, defend against the fine and sentence, and ultimately protect the legitimacy of human rights reporting for all of those who dare to stand up to fight for justice.
Who I Am
I have spent over 20 years investigating and exposingforced labour, human trafficking and abuse of migrant workers, particularly across Asia, the Middle East and the UK. My campaigning and corporate engagement on this issue has contributed significantly to accountability, government reform and global awareness of migrant worker rights issues.
You can read more about my background and work at andyjhall.org. I’ve never profited from advocacy. But now I face criminalisation—simply for doing my job.
This case threatens not only my liberty and livelihood—but the broader ability of advocates everywhere to hold systems and corporations accountable for modern slavery issues and systemic exploitation.
I’m no stranger to being threatened with litigation for my work. I fought to clear my name for 10 years in Thailand, where the Supreme Court eventually dismissed all defamation and cyber crime charges filed against me for modern slavery work. I am still facing a US$20m defamation claim in Malaysia too.
Despite the challenges I face, those I work with and those I work to protect and empower continue to energize me to continue this fight for what’s right.
Can You Help?
Please consider donating to my legal defense fund so I can challenge this verdict and stand up for the rights of whistleblowers and the migrant workers I serve. Every euro matters. If you can’t donate, please share this fundraiser with your networks also.
Reporting modern slavery allegations should not be a crime anywhere in the world. I need your support to make this clear.
Together, we can send a message that seeking justice for voiceless migrant workers is not a crime. Reporting modern slavery allegations should not be a crime anywhere in the world too.
Thank you for standing with me and for your support.
