Michael Page
Human Rights Watch
New York, United States
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Past articles by Michael:
Iranian Media Reports Hundreds of Schoolgirls Poisoned
Iran’s reformist Etemad news agency reported on March 1 that over the past three months, hundreds of schoolgirls have been poisoned in at least 58 schools in 10 provinces across the country. Unfortunately, the Iranian authorities’ poor rights record leaves little hope for a genuine, impartial investigation. → Read More
FIFA President’s ‘I Feel Like a Migrant Worker’ Speech Misleading
At a November 19 press conference, on the eve of the 2022 World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino delivered a diatribe rife with “whataboutism” meant to deflect the global scrutiny Qatari authorities have deservedly received for the country’s poor human rights record. → Read More
European Football Group Demands FIFA Remedy Migrant Worker Abuses
Last Sunday, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Working Group on Human and Labour Rights, representing 10 football associations, reaffirmed their support for a remedy fund for Qatar’s migrant workers. → Read More
US, French Politicians Urge FIFA to Remedy Migrant Worker Abuses in Qatar
These politicians join a growing list of people pushing the #PayUpFIFA campaign. The list includes prominent former players, four sponsors, several prominent qualifying national football associations and fans from across the world. → Read More
FIFA Should Commit to Remedy Abuses Ahead of World Cup in Qatar
Over the past 12 years, at least tens of thousands of workers have sacrificed their health toiling in Qatar’s extreme heat, suffered physical or mental health issues from wage theft and other abuses, or died in preventable, unexplained, and uninvestigated deaths. → Read More
Biden Should Not Renew Arms Sales to Saudi Arabia
President Biden is set to land in Saudi Arabia later this week to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman amid disturbing media reports that, if true, signal a policy reversal that could lead to fresh rights violations in Yemen. → Read More
Families Bring Home Migrant Worker Remains from Qatar
Human Rights Watch recently accompanied a Nepali driver carrying out a somber task: delivering the body of a migrant worker who died in Qatar to his grieving loved ones. Despite Nepal’s arduous terrain and the frequent arrival of bodies at Kathmandu’s airport long after midnight, these drivers are present to load the coffin for the worker’s final journey home. → Read More
FIFA Should Listen to Families of Qatar’s Migrant Workers
In the past decade, thousands of migrant workers have died in unexplained circumstances in Qatar, while many more have faced other serious abuses while literally building the FIFA 2022 World Cup. Many have not received any redress. → Read More
The US Must Pivot to Renewable Energy and End its Reliance on Petro Autocrats
The Biden administration is struggling to keep its commitments on human rights as it reaches out to different autocrats, including Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and senior officials from the United Arab Emirates, who have appalling records of rights abuses. → Read More
No ‘Beautiful Game’ Without Rights in Qatar
On March 31, as FIFA convened its 72nd Congress in Doha, Lise Klaveness, the Norwegian Football Association president, took a brave stance by directly calling out FIFA’s failure to protect human rights when selecting Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup. → Read More
World Cup Draw Feted in Qatar, but Migrants Left in Lurch
On April 1, the draw for the 2022 World Cup finals is set to take place in Qatar, which is hosting the tournament. This is a major event for football fans, who will be hoping for good luck and a favorable draw to help their favorite teams along the path to December’s final match. → Read More
Qatar’s Migrant Workers Sidelined Ahead of World Cup
National football associations preparing for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar are finding a difficult balance between promoting their teams’ laudable human rights concerns and speaking realistically about the abusive reality for many migrant workers building the games. → Read More
Investigating a Massacre, Iraq Should Address Root Causes
On December 31, Iraqi security forces killed 20 people from a single family in a raid on a home in Jableh district in Babil governorate, south of Baghdad. Security forces carried out the raid after reportedly receiving false information about a suspect purportedly living there. → Read More
FIFA and Qatar Need to Do More for Migrant Workers
In less than a year, Qatar will host the FIFA 2022 World Cup. → Read More
University of Toronto’s Leadership Draws Fire Over Academic Freedom
At the heart of concerns is that Dr. Valentina Azarova's appointment at the University of Toronto’s law school was blocked because some of her academic work was critical of Israel’s human rights record. → Read More
Fulfilling Biden Campaign Pledge on Saudi-UAE Policy Will Require a Full Overhaul
The last four years of U.S. policy toward Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) were bleak for human rights. The Saudi- and UAE-led military campaign in Yemen has been rife with violations of the laws of war and helped bring the country to the brink of famine. → Read More
Egyptian Government Should Investigate Abuses, Not Attack the Messenger
Instead of protecting its citizens from torture and forced disappearances, the Egyptian government prefers to criticize and attack groups calling for investigation → Read More