Human rights researcher Krishna Upadhyaya and photographer Gundev Ghimire, British citizens of Nepali origin, had been detained in Qatar since August 31. The Norway-based Global Network for Rights and Development had hired them to study the conditions of migrant workers at construction facilities for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup.

Upadhyaya wrote on Facebook: “Just released, will fly in two days time! We do not have mobile yet, so wait for our calls.”

The message was a great relief to their family members in London. According to Shreya Poudel, Upadhyaya’s nephew, he called his wife Sarita to confirm that he was free. Upadhyaya told his wife that they were provided relative comfort, though the two men were not given newspapers and internet in custody.

“He told her that he would come back soon but did not elaborate why he was held and released later,” said Poudel.

Family members are clueless as to why it would take him two more days, as he wrote on Facebook, to leave the country. Sarita has asked the GNRD to look into the possibilities of bringing him home immediately.

According to the British newspaper Guardian, the duo would collect their gadgets from police after all data are erased from them.

“Once they finish with the police they will contact us to confirm when we can reserve tickets for them … We will now concentrate on organising their transfer back home as soon as possible,” Evgenia Kondrakhina, the chief executive manager of GNRD, was quoted as saying.

The GNRD issued a statement that it had a chance to call Krishna Upadhyaya on Monday night and learned that both were doing well.

“We will keep in contact with Krishna and Gundev in order to receive the latest information and to find the first opportunity for them to fly back home,” read the statement.