There are already three journalists who have died in Qatar in recent weeks during the news coverage of the World Cup. The International Association of Sports Press (AIPS) has reported on Monday the death of the Qatari photojournalist Khalid al-Misslam, 44 years old. In addition, the death, three weeks ago, of the British Roger Pearce, 65, has been announced. Both join Gran Wahl, a media American journalist who died this Friday amid suspicions from his family that he could have been assassinated after his arrest for wearing a T-shirt in favor of LGTBI rights.
Al-Misslam, 44, "passed away suddenly" on Sunday, as confirmed by Al-Kass TV, the outlet for which he worked. The circumstances surrounding his death have not been clarified, but AIPS has indicated that he was not working at the time of his death and the 44-year-old Qatari photojournalist reportedly died of a heart attack. AIPS has publicly sent its condolences to Al-Misslam's family and friends.
"We believe in Allah's mercy and forgiveness for him, and we send our deepest condolences to his family," The Gulf Times has published.
Three weeks ago, on November 21, on the second day of the World Cup, British journalist Roger Pearce, 65, died. Technical director of the ITV network, Pearce began to cover what should be his eighth World Cup.
"Roger was a highly respected figure in the sports broadcasting industry and for ITV he was instrumental in planning the logistics and coverage of the World Cup," UK presenter Mark Pougatch announced just before the USA v Wales game. the second day of the World Cup.
However, the first death that came to the fore in the media was that of Grant Wahl, a highly reputable 48-year-old American journalist who died while covering the extension of the Netherlands - Argentina last Friday due to "some kind of heart problem", according to his agent. .
Days ago, Wahl had been denied entry to a stadium in Qatar for wearing a rainbow shirt in support of the LGTBI collective, which also meant that he was briefly detained. In fact, his brother, Eric Wahl, initially expressed his suspicions that Grant did not die of natural causes: "My brother was healthy. He explained to me that he had received death threats. I don't think my brother just died. I think he was murdered. ", he recounted in a video.
However, this Monday he withdrew the suspicions and expressed his confidence that the US authorities would give him answers about the causes of Grant's death. For now, the journalist's remains were repatriated to the United States on Monday.
At the request of relatives, the journalist's body was delivered to a New York medical center for an autopsy. The spokesman for US diplomacy said that the body shows no signs of a violent death and assured that the collaboration with the Qatari authorities was "excellent."
