Categories: Global

Prominent UAE Activist Alaa al-Siddiq Dies in London Car Crash

Alaa al-Siddiq, a prominent dissident Emirati rights activist and critic, has died in a car crash in London.

Alaa was the executive director of the United Kingdom-based ALQST, a non-profit organisation that advocates for greater freedoms and human rights in the UAE and the

“With deep sadness, ALQST mourns the sudden death of its loved and respected Executive Director Alaa Al-Siddiq on Saturday 19 June 2021,” the group said in a tweet. “May she rest in power.”

Her father, Mohammad al-Siddiq, is also a prominent activist who has been held in detention by Emirati authorities since 2013.

“Today, the able Emirati researcher and honest sister, professor Alaa al-Siddiq, left this world, while her father, Mohammad al-Siddiq languishes in the notorious prisons of the [United Arab] Emirates,” wrote Saudi activist Abdullah al-Awda.

According to Doha News, Alaa and her husband sought asylum in Qatar in 2012, where they had been living with their relatives.

The activist’s presence in Qatar, and Doha’s stance towards political activists at a time when the UAE was cracking down on voices of dissent, led to a rift between the two neighbours.

In 2018, Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said a dispute had taken place between Qatar and the UAE in 2015 concerning a political dissident’s wife.

Abu Dhabi had sent an envoy to Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to ask that the woman in question be handed over to Emirati authorities, a request that was turned down by the Qatari ruler.

Though kept secret, Abdullah al-Athbah, the editor in chief of Qatar’s al-Arab newspaper, later said it was Alaa who the Emiratis sought to repatriate.

Follow us on:

AriseNews

Recent Posts

Anambra Lacks Regulatory Framework For Crowd Control, Says Information Commissioner Law Mefor

Anambra lacks formal crowd control law but is working on a regulatory framework, says state…

21 minutes ago

Akugbe Iyamu: We Must Be Prepared For Severe Droughts, Hunger in 2025

Retired Air Vice Marshal Akugbe Iyamu has called for urgent preparations for drought, heatwaves, and…

47 minutes ago

Romania Set To Form New Government With Marcel Ciolacu As Prime Minister

Romania's president Klaus Iohannis is expected to designate Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to form a…

1 hour ago

Nigeria Announces Public Holidays for Christmas and New Year Celebrations

Federal Government of Nigeria has declared public holidays to mark Christmas and New Year festivities…

2 hours ago

IGP Orders Investigation into Death of Ilorin Detainee Jimoh Abdulquadri in Police Custody

IGP Egbetokun has ordered an investigation into Jimoh Abdulquadri’s death in police custody, promising justice…

5 hours ago

Trump Dismisses Claims That Elon Musk Holds Real Power Behind US President-Elect

Donald Trump has rejected suggestions that Elon Musk is the true influence behind the newly…

5 hours ago