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[a] court [judgment], it can take one year. Who feeds and lodges [the worker]?” E.M., an
expatriate resident who assists workers in distress told Human Rights Watch. 248
Advocates and embassy staff also identified court fees as an obstacle for workers seeking
redress. Qatar’s Labor Law states that all lawsuits filed by workers seeking redress under
the Labor Law should be treated “with urgency” and exempted from judicial fees. 249 Labor
Ministry officials insisted that courts should never charge workers fees in order to hear
their claims. 250 However, two ambassadors from major labor-sending countries, as well as
their labor attachés, identified a 500 riyal (US$137) deposit as a major setback for workers
who had sought assistance from their embassies and tried to pursue court claims. 251 “We
have the receipts,” one told Human Rights Watch. “They require them to pay or the case
will not proceed.” 252 The Qatar National Human Rights Committee also found in a June 2011
report that “the worker must pay the fees of the expert estimated at between 300-500
riyals [US$82 to $137], although the provisions of the Labor Law require considering labor
cases expeditiously and without court fees.” 253
“Most of the workers have been working without salary for five or six months, [so] where
will they get 500 riyals?” another ambassador of a labor-sending country pointed out. 254
Embassy staff said they could not legally shelter workers at their embassies, which made it
difficult to assist workers in distress. ““[Workers] find it very difficult to stay in Qatar for
three to four months with no food, accommodation, or salary, [in order] to pursue their
complaint,” the ambassador of a labor-sending country told Human Rights Watch. “In most
cases, workers … surrender their rights and go back home [after paying] their own
tickets.” 255 In the November 2011 letter to Human Rights Watch, Ministry of Labor officials
included data showing that a total of 1,279 complaints were referred to the judiciary
248 Human Rights Watch interview with E.M., Villagio Mall, Doha, May 26, 2011.
249 Law No. 14 of 2004, art. 10 states that “All lawsuits filed by workers or their heirs claiming the entitlements accruing
under the provisions of this law or the service contract shall be dealt with urgency and shall be exempted from judicial
fees.” Labor Law, No. 14 of the Year 2004, State of Qatar, Ministry of Labor, Labor Department, official translation (2010).
250 Human Rights Watch meeting with Nasser al-Mannai, Director of Recruitment Department, Mohamed al-Obeidly, Director
of Legal Affairs Department, and Salih al-Shawi, Director of Labor Relations Department, Ministry of Labor, Doha, Qatar, June
22, 2011.
251 Human Rights Watch interview with ambassador of labor-sending country, Doha, May 27, 2011; Human Rights Watch
interview with ambassador of labor-sending country, Doha, June 22, 2011.
252 Human Rights Watch interview with ambassador of labor-sending country, Doha, Qatar, June 22, 2011.
253 Qatar National Human Rights Committee, Study on the Conditions of Unskilled Labor Force in the Construction Sector in
Qatar, (Doha: Qatar National Human Rights Committee, 2011), on file with Human Rights Watch, p.8.
254 Human Rights Watch interview with ambassador of labor-sending country, Doha, May 27, 2011.
255 Human Rights Watch interview with ambassador of labor-sending country, Doha, May 27, 2011.
85 HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH | JUNE 2012