Two Norwegian reporters were arrested by police in Qatar this week and held in detention for some 30 hours, their employer said on Wednesday, drawing criticism of the Gulf nation from Norway's prime minister...

"The arrest of NRK's journalists in Qatar is unacceptable. A free press is crucial to a functioning democracy," Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said in a tweet.

Ekeland and Ghorbani were released on Tuesday and left the country shortly after, NRK said. Their equipment had been confiscated however, the broadcaster added. The reporters arrived in Oslo earlier on Wednesday.