Two British nationals who were taken into custody by Qatari authorities for "violating the country’s laws" have been released, a spokesperson for the British Embassy told Gulf Times yesterday.
However, she declined to say exactly when Krishna Upadhyaya and Gundev Ghimire, British citizens of Nepalese descent, were released or when they were expected to fly out of Qatar.
The duo, employed by Norway-based Global Network for Rights and Development (GNRD), had been in the custody of Qatari authorities for about a week. GNRD also confirmed their release in a separate statement on their website.
The organisation added that one of their representatives called Krishna Upadhyaya on Monday, September 8 and he was told that both he and Ghimire were doing well.
Qatar had confirmed the arrest of the two foreign nationals on September 6.
QNA quoted the Foreign Ministry as saying that the two British men, who were arrested by security authorities on August 31, were being “interrogated for violating the provisions of Qatar’s laws.”
The director of the Department of Consular Affairs at the Foreign Ministry had said that all actions taken against Upadhyaya and Gundev were “consistent with the principles of human rights as enshrined in the Constitution and the laws of the State of Qatar.”
