Ibhais was due to give a voluntary deposition in a Colorado court case on 20 August, according to the report. His family says Jordanian authorities arrested him in Amman after he obtained a US visa, and that the detention may prevent him from giving evidence.
The family also alleges that Ibhais had faced pressure over his advocacy for workers’ rights and his own case. They say his passport was held for two months, disrupting earlier plans to take part in a deposition and attend meetings abroad. Those claims, like the account of the arrest, remain allegations attributed to his family.
The timing matters: a witness’s ability to participate can shape what evidence reaches a court, even when no conclusion has been reached about the underlying claims. If Ibhais cannot appear as planned, the legal process may face delay or lose access to testimony he was expected to provide.
Ibhais has said he became a target after raising concerns about workers’ conditions in Qatar. He was imprisoned in Doha after a 2021 conviction and released in March 2025, according to the report. Amnesty International described his trial as unfair; that assessment does not itself resolve the allegations in the US case.
The episode also revives scrutiny of the legacy of the Qatar World Cup, where labour conditions and worker protections drew sustained international attention. The key issue now is whether the legal process can proceed with Ibhais’s participation, and whether the claims surrounding his detention receive independent examination.
The next milestone is the planned 20 August deposition. Until the circumstances are clarified, the arrest account and its possible effect on the case should be treated cautiously.