‘Hostage in Qatar’: jailed for three years with hard labour unless raises appeal money
“A Belgian national who claims he has been ‘held hostage’ in Qatar by his sponsor since the company he worked for fell into financial difficulty last year, has been sentenced to three years in prison with hard labour.”
On June 22 the former managing director of Dialogic Qatar, Philippe Bogaert, discovered he had been sentenced to three years imprisonment. Bogaert, who has been publicising his case via Twitter, said: “I can pay 500 Riyals to freeze the judgment and appeal. Then I will have to be represented by a Qatari lawyer during the next hearings.”
Bogaert told Journalism.co.uk: “If I raise the money, I can appeal so won’t go to jail (yet). But unfortunately, I’ll still be far from free…”
- Previously on Journalism.co.uk: ‘I am a hostage in Qatar and this is my Twitter SOS:’ Philippe Bogaert’s story told in 140 characters’
If you have further information to add to this story please contact judith at journalism.co.uk.
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August 16th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
[...] Then I will have to be represented by a Qatari lawyer during the next hearings.” Bogaert told Journalism.co.uk “If I raise the money, I can appeal so won’t go to jail (yet). But unfortunately, I’ll still [...]