Amnesty International – Qatar 2025 (annual report summary)

According to Amnesty International's annual report on Qatar (covering 2025), migrant workers in the country continue to face exploitation under the kafala sponsorship system despite the government's much-publicized reform announcements. The report alleges that many workers remain vulnerable to wage theft, forced labor, and abusive working conditions, with inadequate access to effective legal remedies when employers violate their rights. Amnesty further documents tight restrictions on the rights to free expression and peaceful assembly in Qatar, noting that journalists, activists, and online critics continue to face prosecution, detention, and harassment for speaking out on politically sensitive topics. According to the report, women in Qatar remain subject to legal discrimination under a male guardianship system that limits their autonomy, while children, LGBTI people, and religious minorities continue to face systemic discrimination in both law and practice. The report criticizes the persistent gap between Qatar's international human rights commitments and the lived reality of those within its borders, and calls on the authorities to translate reform pledges into meaningful, enforceable change. Amnesty urges Qatar to dismantle the remaining structures of the kafala system, protect freedom of expression and assembly, and end legal discrimination against women, LGBTI people, and religious minorities. The findings are as reported by Amnesty International.