Two Norwegian reporters were arrested in Qatar where they investigated conditions for migrant workers ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Halvor Ekeland and Lokman Ghorbani who are working for Norwegian public broadcaster NRK were picked up by the police as they were preparing to leave the country on Sunday. They were detained for 36 hours.
A spokesperson for the Qatari government said the reporters were detained 'for trespassing on private property and filming without a permit'.
"The arrest of NRK's journalists in Qatar is unacceptable. A free press is crucial to a functioning democracy," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere has tweeted.
Earlier, another Norwegian news outlet Josimar was threatened with legal action after reports on human rights violations in the Middle East country.
The Norwegian national team has also been very vocal about the issue and even considered boycotting the competition before they lost any chance to qualify for the final stage.
