Abdullah Ibhais, a 2022 Qatar @FIFAWorldCup whistleblower and 2026 @OsloFF speaker, was detained on August 7, 2026, by Jordan’s General Intelligence Directorate (GID). The arrest stems from continued advocacy for human rights following his release from arbitrary detention in 2022. He was released on bail on August 8.
On August 10, Ibhais was prevented from leaving Amman airport for the United States, where he is scheduled to give a voluntary deposition in a case related to allegations of forced labor and human trafficking associated with the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
In May, the GID repeatedly questioned Ibhais and confiscated his passport, preventing him from traveling to Norway to speak at the Oslo Freedom Forum. Unable to attend in person, Ibhais delivered his remarks virtually. HRF’s Tyranny Tracker classifies both Jordan and Qatar as fully authoritarian regimes. Explore tyrannytracker.org to learn more.
HRF stands in solidarity with Ibhais and calls on the Jordanian authorities to remove the travel ban against Ibhais and respect his fundamental rights, including his right to speak out against human rights abuses without fear of retaliation.
