On August 14, a group of guest workers gathered outside the Al Bandary International Group office in the capital Doha.

Videos posted on social media show the protesters blocking a road outside the building.

According to human rights organizations Equidem Research and Migrant Rights, guest workers employed by the company have gone without pay for up to seven months.

The organizations state that at least 60 people were arrested and taken to a detention facility, and that several of those arrested were subsequently deported.

Qatar's government confirms in a statement to the AP news agency that "a number of protesters have been detained for violating public security laws."

Promise to pay

The statement shows that Al Bandary International Group has previously been investigated for not having paid salaries, and that further measures against the company are to be expected.

According to the statement, Qatar's Ministry of Labor must pay "all delayed wages and benefits" to those affected.

Qatar, which is hosting the soccer World Cup this winter, has long been heavily criticized for the treatment of its around two million guest workers.

Labor market policy reforms have been implemented.

The minimum wage has been raised and the so-called kafala system, which made guest workers almost serfs under their employers, has been abolished.

An "Illusion"

The law changes have been praised by the International Football Association Fifa and the International Labor Organization ILO, which state that hundreds of thousands of guest workers have received better working and living conditions.

But not everyone is equally convinced.

Migrant Rights calls the abolition of the kafala system an "illusion".

According to the organization, in practice, employers can also continue to stop dissatisfied guest workers from leaving.

Mustafa Qadri, managing director of Equidem Research, also believes that much more needs to be done to protect guest workers' rights and freedoms in Qatar.

Not least to ensure that workers receive their salary payments on time and are protected from employers' violations and abuses.

The FIFA World Cup is played from 20 November to 18 December.

CLIP: Gay Qatari Nas Mohammed's World Cup hope: Help from David Beckham

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He is disappointed with Fifa's handling of LGBTQ issues ahead of the World Cup in Qatar, but hopes to get help from the players - and World Cup ambassador David Beckham.

Photo: SVT/EPA