The Doha Criminal Court overturned the conviction of British human rights activist Andy Hall, the activist confirmed last week.
Hall had been convicted in absentia in Qatar in 2022, and was detained at Doha's Hamad International Airport on July 1, 2025, Justice Abroad clarified.
The activist was reportedly unaware of his conviction in absentia and was sentenced to one month imprisonment and a 1,000 Qatari riyal fine, Hall updated on his fundraising page.
He claims that upon his detention, he was denied access to legal counsel or an independent translator, with authorities allegedly pressuring him to sign Arabic-language documents under threat of imprisonment. Hall stated that he does not understand and is unable to read Arabic. Hall claims that he was not notified of the original trial or given an opportunity to defend himself.
"Hearing disturbing news that British HRD Andy Hall was briefly detained with no legal counsel access last month on arrival in #Qatar based on a 2022 sentence related to his peaceful migrant rights defence work & issued without his knowledge in contradiction with international human rights standards," UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders Mary Lawlor wrote on X/Twitter.
Hall, as a human rights activist, had been accused of making defamatory statements about human rights violations of a Qatari company when he forwarded complaints of alleged human rights violations, including "modern slavery and forced labor", via email to government bodies shortly before the 2022 FIFA World Cup was to be held in Doha.
Despite being permitted to leave Qatar after seven hours in detention, the criminal conviction under Qatar's cybercrime laws could have caused Hall issues with his plans to travel the world defending migrant rights as part of his human rights activism, he stated.
Lawyer praises decision, claims case 'encapsulates danger of criminal defamation'
UK barrister and Justice Abroad director Michael Polak represented Hall, along with Qatari lawyer Zain Al Idrissi. They both welcomed the court's decision.
"The case against Mr Hall involved criminal defamation, an offense which has been removed in many countries. This offense has the potential to have a chilling effect on proper discussion and the provision of information. In Mr Hall’s case, he solely forwarded a complaint of modern slavery to the bodies which had been set up to and had even invited such complaints to be provided to them," Polak said.
"This case really encapsulates the danger of criminal defamation. The original trial against Mr Hall happened in his absence as he was never served with any notice of the hearing, and he was therefore unable to defend himself. We are very pleased that the Doha Court today allowed the appeal and expunged his prison sentence and fine, which will allow Mr Hall to continue in his valuable work against modern slavery around the world," he added.