Qatar cybercrime law amendments raise press freedom concerns

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published 4 months ago |  CPJ News Alert

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Qatari authorities should reconsider the implications of an amendment to the country’s cybercrime law, which could be used to prosecute journalists, photojournalists, and bloggers for doing their jobs, the Committee to Protect Journalists said Friday.

On August 4, Qatar’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, approved an amendment to a 2014 cybercrime law that adds a new provision that criminalizes publishing or circulating photos or videos of individuals in public places without their consent. Violations are punishable by up to one year in prison, a fine of up to 100,000 Qatari riyals (about USD$27,500), or both.

“While the amendments are being framed as a measure to protect individual privacy, the vague and overly broad language poses a serious threat to press freedom,” said Sara Qudah, CPJ’s Middle East and North Africa program director. “Criminalizing the publication of images taken in public spaces risks silencing journalists and undermining their ability to report on matters of public interest.”

Qatari authorities have previously used the cybercrime law to suppress critical reporting. In May 2021, blogger Malcolm Bidali was forcibly disappeared and later charged under the cybercrime law with spreading false news. He was eventually allowed to leave the country after paying a significant fine for his reporting on migrant rights.

CPJ emailed the Qatari Embassy in Washington, D.C., for on how Qatari authorities plan to mitigate the risks that the new cybercrime law amendments pose to press freedom, but did not receive a response.

Photo caption: Qatar’s Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani approved an amendment to the 2014 cybercrime law that criminalizes publishing or circulating photos or videos of individuals in public places without their consent. (Photo: Mohd Rasfan/Pool via Reuters)