Qatar World Cup Whistleblower Detained in Jordan Ahead of U.S. Deposition

Jordanian national Abdullah Ibhais, who has been a key witness in a U.S. District Court case alleging forced labour and human-trafficking linked to the 2022 World Cup, was seized by the Jordanian General Intelligence Directorate (GID) in Amman. According to his family, the arrest occurred in front of his two children, without a warrant and without allowing an attorney to contact him. The detention follows his release from a Doha prison on March 11, 2025, after a five-year sentence was reduced.

The Independent

Ibhais spent three years in a Doha jail after an April 2021 conviction on charges of bribery, tender-integrity violations and damage to public funds. Amnesty International described that trial as “unfair,” while the advocacy group FairSquare reported that Ibhais supplied extensive evidence for his case. After his release, Jordanian authorities confiscated his passport for two months between May and July 2026, a move his family alleges was intended to prevent his participation in a scheduled virtual deposition at the U.S. Embassy in Norway on May 30, 2026.

The Independent

In addition to the March 2025 arrest, Ibhais was unable to attend a meeting in Washington, D.C., with Massachusetts Congressman James McGovern on June 17, 2025, after Jordanian officials held his passport. McGovern later sent a renewed invitation, noting regret over the continued passport hold. Ibhais also missed the Oslo Freedom Forum, organized by the Human Rights Foundation, which was set for early June 2025.

The Independent

Ibhais is scheduled to give a voluntary deposition in the United States on August 20, 2025, having received his visa on August 6, 2025, at the U.S. Embassy in Amman. His family and human-rights advocates warn that the pattern of arrests and passport restrictions may impede his ability to testify. No official comment from Jordanian authorities has been reported.

The Independent