'Stranded' footballer told he can leave Qatar
CNN has reported that after two years of legal wrangling, threats of a hunger strike and thoughts of suicide, Zahir Belounis has been told he will finally receive his Qatari exit visa on October 21.
The 33-year-old footballer had been unable to leave the Gulf state following a pay dispute against club side El Jaish.
Living with his wife and two young children, he was left without pay and struggling to provide for his family.
Now, following intervention from the French government and numerous meetings with the Qatari Football Association, he will be allowed to return home with his wife and two children.
The QFA has disputed Belounis' claims.
"I feel like a hostage," Belounis exclusively told CNN.
"Life has become a nightmare for me, my wife and my two small daughters.
"I try to be the best daddy I can but after I tuck them in at night, I go to bed and cry like a baby.
"They killed me inside. I hated myself. I had very dark thoughts."
Trapped in Qatar and with little or no support, Belounis had taken to speaking out to the western media in the hope that he would gain enough publicity to help acquire an exit visa.
Qatar has come under intense media scrutiny since winning the right to stage the 2022 World Cup, particularly over its employment laws -- notably the kafala system, which requires expatriate workers and some visitors to have a residence permit.
Source: CNN
Khafala System = BULLYING
Hope for a better change..
I really hope the Kafala System is removed soon. It's not doing anything but moving this country backwards, which is unfortunate because this beloved country has so much potential to be the front-runner of the world. I hope something will change soon.
They said "Hotel California" is a lovely song and I certainly would agree and no wonder it is requested so much..........You can come in anytime you like but you can never leaveeeeeee or until they agree to let you go. If this is the situation of the famous footballer then just imagine what would be the case situation of lesser mortals like labourers and other suc workers
The press law precludes posting the actual statistics; otherwise, both local and expat communities will be stunned when they learn that the numbers are quite high. Public court defenders should vigorously defend the defendants' (their client) rights in order for the whole judicial system to have a so-called "due process".
would agree with habagat that the other cases as well to be solved in a peaceful manner and exited in a respectful way as most of them are not as popular as zahir belonuis and lot of them cannot hire a lawyer
i have a simular case. I am with a partner an investor in Qatar. Our qatari partner (i never use the word "sponsor") is when we dont give him a company car (BMW 730li) he will close the company by cancelling the residency! Our lawyer told us tha a qatari can cancell the residency without appointing a reason.
@Thelonius: can you tell me something more about the arrest journalist, I am in touch with very popular and big magazins in Germany about this topic?
"More interesting info" from Doha News (http://dohanews.co/footballer-told-he-can-leave-qatar-amid-pay-dispute-with-al-jaish-sc/):
After two years of fighting for wages and better treatment, French-Algerian footballer Zahir Belounis is being granted permission to leave Qatar.
The 33-year-old of Algerian descent, who was in Qatar under a five-year contract with Al Jaish SC, filed a lawsuit against the club in February over 18 months of unpaid wages. He was told at that time that he would not be granted an exit permit unless he dropped the case, which he has refused to do.
Speaking to Doha News today, Belounis confirmed that he is awaiting an exit permit to be granted to him on Monday, when government offices open after Eid holidays. He declined to comment further on his case, only saying: “Until I get to the airport, I won’t believe it.”
In an interview with Doha News late last month, Belounis, who is here with his wife and two daughters, said:
“I want to go back to my country and to see justice served here. I believe I will win because I did not do anything wrong. I do not think I can forgive those who destroyed my life and career, but I can try to make peace with it. Just let me go back home. Nothing can compensate me for the look in my daughter’s eyes when she asks me to buy her a toy and I cannot because I have no money because I have been prevented exercising my basic right to work and earn a living.
But as I said, at this point, I just want to leave. My life has turned into a nightmare. I cannot think about tomorrow or the future of my daughters. I just want out of here.”
In an effort to make it back to France, Belounis has told his story to CNN, the Independent and others, including French President François Hollande, who tried but did not succeed in helping with his case during a visit to Qatar in June.
Human rights groups have also been working on getting Belounis out of Qatar. Speaking to Doha News, Nicholas McGeehan of Human Rights Watch said he was pleased about the development, but added that many others continue to be stuck here without permission to leave.
“We welcome the news that Zahir Belounis will be allowed to leave Qatar, but he is not the only person trapped in the country as a result of the pointless exit visa system, and until Qatar abolishes that system its claims on migrant worker reform cannot be taken seriously.”
Qatar’s restrictive sponsorship system has been in the spotlight over the past month due to media reports about labor abuses among low-income expats and higher profile cases like that of Belounis and three other Frenchmen.
(Reorted by: Riham Sheble)
Thelonius: You must take part of the blame for his arrest. You should have forewarned the journalist. Investigative journalism is a no-no here. This is why we have Doha News and Penninsula.
The bigger picture is that there are MUCH MORE cases (in Qatar) that are similar or parallel to that of Zahir, but are not given urgent action and resolution, especially if their consulate or embassy is not effective in their mandate to serve their citizens in distress.