Press Freedom

Rights Groups Letter to F1 CEO Ahead of Bahrain Grand Prix: 20 Years of Sportswashing 

Copy to: Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), Teams, Drivers and Sponsors Dear Stefano Domenicali, We, the undersigned organisations, are writing to renew our concerns about Bahrain’s use of the F1 Grand Prix to “sportswash” the country’s dire human rights record. As you mark two decades of racing in Bahrain, and amid claims from F1 that […]

Switzerland: Parliament Must Ensure Respect for Human Rights by Sports Federations 

Bern (6 June 2023) – Strong measures are needed to ensure that sports federations based in Switzerland comply with their human rights due diligence obligations, says Amnesty International. The human rights organization, together with the global coalition Sport & Rights Alliance, is calling on the Swiss Parliament to support two policy initiatives that seek to […]

Image shows maroon background with SRA logo and headline: "Recap: Qatar 2022 Press Briefing" with bullet points "LGBTI+ rights, Women's rights, Press freedom" and date 09 November 2022 // 10-11 AM ET 4-5 PM CET

Qatar 2022: Press Briefing on LGBTI+ Rights, Women’s Rights and Press Freedom Ahead of the 2022 FIFA Men’s World Cup

Since FIFA awarded the 2022 Men’s World Cup to Qatar in 2010, the exploitation of migrant workers fueling the 220-billion-dollar infrastructure project became the center of human rights concerns about this mega sporting event – but it was by no means the only human rights issue at play. On the 9th of November 2022, eleven days […]

FIFA: First Week of World Cup Proves Worst Fears

Urgent Action Required from FIFA to Change Course and Show its Human Rights Commitments are Still in Force (Nyon, Switzerland, 25 November, 2022) — Multiple human rights abuses taking place in the first week of the 2022 FIFA Qatar Men’s World Cup reveal significant backsliding within FIFA on human rights, the Sport & Rights Alliance […]

Qatar: Rights Abuses Stain FIFA World Cup

‘Reporters’ Guide’ Highlights Key Labor Rights Issues, Needed Reforms  (Beirut, November 14, 2022) – The FIFA World Cup from November 20 to December 18, 2022, will be played following years of serious migrant labor and human rights abuses in Qatar, Human Rights Watch said today, publishing a “Reporters’ Guide” to support journalists covering the Qatar World […]

CPJ Safety Advisory: Covering the 2022 World Cup

The 2022 FIFA World Cup takes place in Qatar from November 20 to December 18, the first World Cup to be held in the Arab world, and said to be the biggest sporting event held in the Middle East. Journalists working in the small nation bordering Saudi Arabia have faced digital security threats, legal issues, and […]