Yuvraj Ghimire: 'If they don't want to respect human rights, they should not hold these events'

Relatives of the two British human rights researchers who are believed to have been detained in Qatar have questioned the right of the Gulf emirate to host the 2022 World Cup.

"If Qatar wants to organise the World Cup, it should respect the human rights of people. If they don't want to respect human rights, they should not hold these events," said Yuvraj Ghimire, the younger brother of one of the men, Krishna Upadhyaya.

"In my opinion they have been detained because they were working for the rights of labourers in Qatar. We have seen the situation of the people who work there; almost every day a Nepali dies. The Qatar government does not want this disclosed."

Krishna Upadhyaya and Ghimire Gundev went missing on Sunday 31 August as they prepared to leave their hotel in Doha and fly home, but they never boarded the plane. The men, who are British citizens of Nepalese extraction, were visiting Qatar to investigate the treatment of Nepalese migrant workers.

Shyam Ghimire, the older brother of Gundev, added: "In my personal view, if the Qatari authorities act like this, they don't have the right to organise the World Cup. We strongly oppose this. It's a very difficult time for us. We demand the Qatari authorities release them as soon as possible, without any conditions."

However, almost six days after the two men went missing, the Qatari government has still not made a public statement about their whereabouts. The Qatar embassy in London has yet to respond to requests for information. The Global Network for Rights and Development, a human rights organisation based in Norway which employs the men, has said they have received a "very polite and diplomatic" response from Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, asking for more details to "help get back your communication with them."

Evgenia Kondrakhina, chief executive of GNRD said: "We stated that Qatar holds responsibility over the safety of both disappeared persons and request them to take immediate actions and disclose all information on [their] whereabouts… we continue our active position to reach all concerned authorities requesting for urgent actions."

GNRD's call for a prompt response from Qatar has been echoed by Amnesty International. "The Qatari authorities must urgently reveal the fate and whereabouts of these two men and dispel the growing fears that they are at risk of torture or other ill-treatment," said Said Boumedouha, deputy director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

Qatar's human rights record has come under increasing scrutiny as it prepares to host the 2022 World Cup, following a Guardian report last year that revealed widespread death and maltreatment of migrant workers helping ready the country for the tournament. According to Qatar's own figures, 882 migrant workers from India and Nepal died in the country in 2012 and 2013.

Dorje Gurung, a Nepalese teacher in Qatar, who was imprisoned for 12 days in May 2013, after a 12-year-old student accused him of insulting Islam, believes the men are likely to be held without any form of information or support.

"If their situation's like mine… I had no clue what was going on. It was unnerving. They don't tell you anything. Nothing," said Gurung. "I was not given any information or support. No witnesses, lawyers or representation, and not even a translator when I went before a judge. I have very little faith in Qatar's justice system."

However, Qatar's record on detention is considered to be better than some other countries in the region.

The Foreign Office said, "We are aware of two British nationals who have been detained by the Qatari authorities. We have requested urgent consular access."