4 expats imprisoned in Qatar: Foreign ministry urged to take steps for immediate release

Bangladesh Civil Society for Migrants today urged the foreign ministry to take immediate steps for the release of four Bangladeshis who were detained, imprisoned and sentenced recently by Qatar authorities.

The four Bangladeshis who have been working as fishermen in Bahrain were sentenced to three months' in prison with hefty fines, BCSM, a platform working on migration, said in a statement.

"We were informed by Bahrain Human Rights Watch Society (BHRWS) that these men did not have access to translators during their trial. They were detained from Bahrain's territorial waters, read the statement, signed by BCSM Chair CR Abrar and Co-chair Syed Saiful Haque.

They statement also said it is disturbing to note that while several Bahraini nationals were detained and released for the same offence, the Bangladeshi nationals were detained, prosecuted and imprisoned.

"Unfortunately, to the best of our knowledge Bangladesh Embassy in Doha is yet to make headway in securing their release," it read.

Qatari authorities' "discrimination" in their treatment between Bahraini and Bangladeshi nationals is "unacceptable," the platform added.