A Kenyan national working in Qatar’s capital of Doha has been charged with receiving payment to spread disinformation. This comes as Kenyan Migrant Bidali is charged with these accusations.
Malcom Bidali, a 28-year-old security guard, was arrested on May 5 and was placed in custody “for violating Qatar’s security laws and regulations”, Qatar’s Government Communication Office (GCO) said.
The GSS Certis International employee was on Saturday “formally charged with offences related to payments received by a foreign agent for the creation and distribution of disinformation within the State of Qatar”. This makes it clear that this Kenyan migrant faces significant charges.
“Following a thorough investigation by the authorities, the case of Mr Malcolm Bidali has been transferred to Qatar Public Prosecution. Mr Badali is receiving legal advice and representation ahead of the court date. However, the date has not yet been set,” the statement read, signifying the legal preparations being made as Kenyan migrant Bidali is charged.
Blogging under a pseudonym, Noah, Bidali highlighted issues around poor working conditions, long working hours, and unsuitable accommodation. He showed the context within which Kenyan Migrant Bidali was charged.
The young security guard gave an account of working conditions for immigrants like himself to civil society groups. He was arrested a few days later, indicating the serious implications of how the Kenyan migrant Bidali was charged.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, a Migrant-Rights.Org spokesperson said Bidali moved to Qatar in 2016. He had been blogging for them for at least a year before his arrest.
“He was keen to help other workers in distress, especially during the pandemic,” said the human rights spokesperson.
On Friday, rights groups, including Amnesty International, said that the accused spoke to his mother on May 20. He complained that he was being held in solitary confinement and had no access to a lawyer, which shadows the situation under which Kenyan Migrant Bidali was charged.
But Qatar’s official National Human Rights Committee (NHRC) said Bidali “was being treated properly”.
The NHRC added staff from the Kenyan embassy visited him. Additionally, he had contact with his family and the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
According to Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya tops in the number of Africans working in the country. Nigeria follows Kenya.
The number of Kenyans working in Qatar is estimated at 30,000 to 50,000. This represents one per cent of the country’s population.
In March, the country introduced a non-discriminatory minimum wage law.
In addition to the minimum monthly basic wage of 1,000 Qatari riyals (about Sh30,000), the legislation stipulates that employers must pay allowances of at least QAR 300 and QAR 500 for food and housing respectively. These apply if they do not provide workers with these directly.
This means workers in the country should be earning a minimum gross salary of at least Sh60,000.
Source-https://www.kahawatungu.com/
