Human Rights Watch Daily Brief, 28 November

Welcome good news for Zahir Belounis, the French-Algerian footballer who's been trapped in Qatar for the past two years after being refused an exit visa. Following a high-profile campaign, an open letter to 2022 World Cup ambassadors Zinedine Zidane and Pep Guardiola, and months of pressure from rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, Belounis was finally granted permission to leave Qatar on Wednesday, and will fly home to Paris today. Under Qatar's much-criticized "kafala" system, migrant workers are effectively tied to their employers, who must agree to their departure from the country. When Belounis fell out with his club, he became trapped in Qatar because he was refused an exit visa.  But while Zahir Belounis is finally free, thoughts now turn to the plight of Qatar's army of migrant workers, who also work under the kafala system. Belounis was only freed following huge media coverage and pressure at the highest level. So what hope is there for Qatar's low-paid migrant workers, toiling behind the scenes to build stadia for the World Cup in 2022?  More on the ongoing plight of Syria's women refugees in Lebanon who, Human Rights Watch revealed this week, face harassment and sexual abuse after fleeing the horrors of war.  Staying with Syria's refugees, many are now also starting to feel increasing unwelcome in Egypt. Before Mohamed Morsi was ousted in early July, Syrian passports allowed refugees unhindered access to the country. But the situation is now changing, and a recent HRW report even found Syrian refugees are being coerced to leave Egypt - a charge hotly denied by government officials. Many Arabs call Egypt “Um el Dunia” – the mother of the world - so can the country live up to its title? Caught in the clutches of an "arbitrary and cruel" justice system - an activist facing jail in Saudi Arabia speaks out.