2020 in Qatar

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See also:	Other events of 2020 History of Qatar

This is a list of notable events that occurred in 2020 in Qatar .

Incumbents

• Emir: Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Events

January

• 14 January - Qatar enacts Article 136 (bis) criminalizing “fake news”; the public backlash and Human Rights Watch criticizes it as a free speech setback. ^[1]

February

• 6 February - Northwestern University move a Mashrou’ Leila talk from its Doha campus to Chicago due to security concerns, amid controversy over Qatar’s restrictions on LGBT expression. ^[2]
• 7 February - Labourers on World Cup-related projects receive two months of overdue wages after protesting non-payment. ^[3]
• 13 February - Many Qatari managerial employees receive four to five months of delayed salaries after intervention by the government. ^[3]
• 27 February - The first case in COVID-19 the country was confirmed. ^[4]
• 29 February - Qatar hosts U.S.-Taliban talks, leading to a peace agreement aimed at ending the 19-year Afghan war. ^[5]

March

• 11 March - Qatar enters its first official lockdown with retail, salons, and gyms closed; only groceries and pharmacies remain open. ^[6]

April

• 7 April - Human Rights Watch and 28 other groups urge Qatar to unblock WhatsApp, Skype, and FaceTime during the COVID-19 pandemic; Teams and Zoom are already accessible. ^[7]

May

• 2 May - A Covid-19 outbreak is reported in Doha central prison, with overcrowding, limited medical care, and inadequate hygiene. The Qatari government confirms the cases and says regular health checks and testings have been conducted. ^[8]
• 22 May - The EHTERAZ contact-tracing app becomes mandatory; restrictions on vehicle capacity, buses, and group sports are introduced. ^[6]

June

• 1 June - New legislation restricts outdoor work in extreme heat, prohibiting work from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and stopping work at wet-bulb globe temperatures above 32.1 °C. ^[9]
• 28 June - Employees of Imperial Trading and Construction Company (ITCC) file complaints with the Labor Dispute Resolution Committees and local police over months of unpaid wages. ^[10]

July

• 14 July - The International Court of Justice rules in favor of Qatar, rejecting an appeal by Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), allowing the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to determine the legality of a 2017 package of sanctions which included air blockades. ^[11]

August

• 30 August - Qatar ends the kafala system, allowing migrant workers to change jobs freely, introducing a non-discriminatory minimum wage of 1,000 QAR with allowances for food and housing. ^[12]

October

• 2 October - Qatari authorities subject women on a Qatar Airways flight to forced gynecological exams after a premature baby is found abandoned at Hamad International Airport. ^{[13] [14]}
• 27 October - The Qatari Government Communications Office confirms that the Labor Ministry had opened legal proceedings against Lalibela Cleaning & Services for unpaid wages and delayed salary payments. ^[10]

December

• 21 December - The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine arrives in Qatar; priority is given to seniors, chronic patients, and frontline health workers. ^[6]

References

1. "Qatar: 5-Year Prison Sentence Set for 'Fake News' | Human Rights Watch". 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
2. "Northwestern University's Precarious Role Under Qatar's Repressive Laws | Human Rights Watch". 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
3. "Qatar: Wage Protection System Falls Short | Human Rights Watch". 2020-02-15. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
4. "Qatar reports first case of coronavirus". www.thepeninsulaqatar.com. 29 February 2020. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
5. Human Rights Watch (2021-01-13), "Qatar: Events of 2020", Share this via Facebook, retrieved 2025-09-05
6. Team, Doha News (2021-03-17). "One year of Covid-19 in Qatar: A timeline". Doha News | Qatar. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
7. "COVID-19: Unblock Voice Over IP Platforms in Gulf | Human Rights Watch". 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
8. "Qatar: Reported Covid-19 Outbreak in Central Prison | Human Rights Watch". 2020-05-18. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
9. Qatar, Charlie Campbell/Doha. "How Global Backlash Made Qatar Treat Migrant Workers Better". TIME. Archived from the original on 2025-04-25. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
10. "Qatar: Wage Abuse Action Shortchanges Workers | Human Rights Watch". 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
11. "UN top court rules in favour of Qatar in international airspace dispute". UN News. 2020-07-14. Retrieved 2020-07-15.
12. "Dismantling the kafala system and introducing a minimum wage mark new era for Qatar labour market | International Labour Organization". www.ilo.org. 2020-08-30. Retrieved 2025-09-05.
13. "Federal Court throws out case against Qatar Airways over invasive strip searches - ABC News".
14. "Women Reportedly Subjected to Forced Gynecological Exams in Qatar | Human Rights Watch". 2020-10-27. Retrieved 2025-09-05.