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Detained in Dubai - Information and warnings Detained in Dubai is an organisation founded in 2008 by Radha Stirling a leading human rights advocate, crisis manager and policy consultant, focusing on the UAE and the wider Middle East. Stirling is a Criminal & Civil Justice Specialist, Expert Witness, Speaker, Founder of Due Process International , Detained in Dubai , IPEX Reform and Gulf Investment Monitor Stirling also hosts the internationally acclaimed Gulf in Justice Podcast hosting clients, celebrities and politicians. Detained in Dubai is an organisation that campaigns against judicial abuse in the UAE and Gulf region on behalf of expats and tourists, its founder and CEO, Radha Stirling, is the leading international commentator on the justice systems in the Gulf, a pioneer advocate for reform of Interpol, and a sought after analyst for Western policy makers. Detained in Dubai is considered the international authority on UAE law. “We consult to governments internationally on UAE legal issues and assist media outlets in the provision of information from our central repository of statistics and data. We have a team and network of highly experienced advocates, consultants, and negotiators to assist you or your company with legal matters, whether you are in the UAE or abroad. Our top priority is helping clients secure the best possible outcome to complex UAE legal issues, regardless of how the odds are stacked against them.” A number of copycat websites have sprung up, using the same or similar names, promising similar service, even trying to associate themselves to the organisation. Please be aware that most of these websites are run by criminals or individuals who have no real experience or history helping people. There are also a number of frauds on the internet including people who pretend to be lawyers, creating fake law firm websites to prey on victims of injustice. We have uncovered groups of local expats in Dubai who seek out victims, promising results, but only digging them into a deeper hole or else, taking money never to be heard of again. On other occasions, victims have been extorted, threatened and blackmailed by such individuals who may come across as credible, unless thoroughly investigated. In some instances, the “service provider” gathers information about their client, then uses that information to blackmail them, threatening to release confidential information. In other cases, the service providers have threatened to open additional police cases against their client, if their client does not pay funds. Some of these providers have offered to work on a victim’s case for free with an ultimate plan of recovering funds later through unlawful means. We are working with witnesses, the media and authorities to stop the exploitation of people in already hellish circumstances. 13+ year old Detained in Dubai is the leading and most experienced advocacy group in the history of the UAE and wider gulf, having helped thousands of clients. A selection of video testimonials can be seen here: - TESTIMONIALS | detainedindubai In 2010, Ms Stirling expanded her work beyond the UAE, dealing with both civil and criminal cases internationally. She has provided expert witness testimony in several high profile extradition and arbitration cases, while lobbying for Interpol reform . Given her breadth of experience in financial disputes, Ms Stirling also provides expert risk assessment for investors and advice on business strategies in the Gulf. She has actively negotiated on behalf of corporate clients and investors, assisted in recovering stolen assets, and intervened to secure their freedom from unlawful detention. Ms Stirling frequently appears in international media to discuss human rights and legal issues in the Middle East and abroad. She recently addressed the United Nations and worked closely with Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. Ms Stirling has provided policy advice to both the Australian, the US, Canadian and British governments, and is a frequently invited speaker on foreign policy issues related to the Gulf states and broader region. - Detained in Dubai - YouTube Her high-profile media campaigns and legal work have influenced the release of countless high profile prisoners in the UAE, notably David Oliver, Richard Lau, Ellie Holman, Matt Joyce and Marcus Lee, Safi Qurashi, Scott Richards, Conrad Clitheroe, Gary Cooper, Farzan Athari, Billy Barclay, Jamie Harron, André Gauthier in the Gold AE fraud, Laleh Shahravesh, Derrin Crawford, Andy Neal, Peter Clark, Sheikha Zeynab, and more. Stirling acts in a number of cross jurisdictional commercial litigations including Oussama El Omari, Karam Al Sadeq, Jihad Quzmar, Dr Mohammed Haddad, Dr Khater Massaad, and Najib Khoury. Ms Stirling publishes regular articles and reports, often covering human rights issues, political prisoners, Middle Eastern finance and debt laws, social media laws, cybercrime laws and Interpol red notice abuse. Stirling’s articles and op-eds have been published in major news outlets, including The Times of Israel, Haaratz, the Independent and Inside Arabia. To see some of Radha’s extensive media coverage, visit www.radhastirling.news or Radha Stirling.com Radha has worked extensively at parliament level and closely with Senators and MP’s. Her work at Australian Parliament ensured provisions to safeguard citizens against human rights violations were included in their extradition treaty with the UAE. Stirling hosts MP’s on her Gulf in Justice Podcast , and works closely with the US State Department, Senators, Congressional representatives and law enforcement personnel. Stirling acted for HRH Sheikha Latifa Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and Hervé Jaubert which led to an international media campaign and a United Nations investigation into her disappearance from a US yacht in international waters. Stirling addressed the United Nations and continues to make submissions on behalf of aggrieved clients. - The saga of Dubai’s Princess Latifa, who tried and failed to win her freedom from her ‘evil’ father, is set to hit the US courts — RT Stirling delivered a speech at a Frontiers of Freedom conference in November 2018, focussing largely on the increased influence of Saudi Arabia and the UAE into American politics and media, questioning whether these US “allies” are acting in the best interests of the States. The OffshoreAlert conference hosted Stirling as a speaker who presented the inherent risks of investing in the UAE, to an audience of high profile lawyers, investors and financial advisors. An Interpol expert and veteran, Stirling also regularly addresses an Interpol reform group in Washington DC that guides policy at the highest level. Stirling’s work has become so high profile that she and her clients have been the target of UAE led intelligence and security attacks via Israeli spy companies . Since founding Detained in Dubai in 2008, Radha Stirling has held various senior roles in law firms in the Middle East and was most recently described by Daily Beast as running "an extraordinarily slick - and convincing - PR campaign ostensibly designed to free her [Princess Latifa]". - Israeli Snoop-for-Hire Posed as a Fox News Journalist for a Spy Operation

Detained in Dubai - by CEO Radha Stirling & Warning

Detained in Dubai - Information and warnings Detained in Dubai is an organisation founded in 2008 by Radha Stirling a leading human...

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A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two Uyghurs, in what may be the first evidence that China is operating a so-called “black site” beyond its borders. The woman, 26-year-old Wu Huan, was on the run to avoid extradition back to China because her fiancé was considered a Chinese dissident. Wu told The Associated Press she was abducted from a hotel in Dubai and detained by Chinese officials at a villa converted into a jail, where she saw or heard two other prisoners, both Uyghurs. She was questioned and threatened in Chinese and forced to sign legal documents incriminating her fiancé for harassing her, she said. She was finally released on June 8 and is now seeking asylum in the Netherlands. While “black sites” are common in China, Wu’s account is the only testimony known to experts that Beijing has set one up in another country. Such a site would reflect how China is increasingly using its international clout to detain or bring back citizens it wants from overseas, whether they are dissidents, corruption suspects or ethnic minorities like the Uyghurs. The AP was unable to confirm or disprove Wu’s account independently, and she could not pinpoint the exact location of the black site. However, reporters have seen and heard corroborating evidence including stamps in her passport, a phone recording of a Chinese official asking her questions and text messages that she sent from jail to a pastor helping the couple. China did not respond to multiple requests for comment sent to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its consulate in Dubai. Dubai also did not respond to multiple phone calls and requests for comment to the Dubai police, the Dubai Media Office and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. Black sites are clandestine jails where prisoners generally are not charged with a crime and have no legal recourse, with no bail or court order. Many in China are used to stop petitioners with grievances against local governments, and they often take the form of rooms in hotels or guesthouses. Yu-Jie Chen, an assistant professor at Taiwan’s Academia Sinica, said she had not heard of a Chinese secret jail in Dubai, and such a facility in another country would be unusual. However, she also noted that it would be in keeping with China’s attempts to do all it can to bring select citizens back, both through official means such as signing extradition treaties and unofficial means such as revoking visas or putting pressure on family back home.“(China) really wasn’t interested in reaching out until recent years,” said Chen, who has tracked China’s international legal actions. “This trend is increasingly robust.” Chen said Uyghurs in particular were being extradited or returned to China, which has been detaining the mostly Muslim minority on suspicion of terrorism even for relatively harmless acts like praying. The Uyghur Human Rights Project tracked 89 Uyghurs detained or deported from nine countries from 1997 to 2007 through public reports. That number steadily increased to reach 1,327 from 20 countries from 2014 until now, the group found. Wu and her fiancé, 19-year-old Wang Jingyu, are not Uyghur but rather Han Chinese, the majority ethnicity in China. Wang is wanted by China because he posted messages questioning Chinese media coverage of the Hong Kong protests in 2019 and China’s actions in a border clash with India. Along with Uyghurs, China has been cracking down on perceived dissidents and human rights activists, and has launched a massive effort to get back suspect officials as part of a national anti-corruption campaign. Under President Xi Jinping, China’s most authoritarian leader in decades, Beijing brought back 1,421 people in 2020 alone for alleged corruption and financial crime under Operation Skynet. However, the AP could not find comprehensive numbers for how many Chinese citizens overall have been detained or deported from overseas in recent years. Dubai also has a history as a place where Uyghurs are interrogated and deported back to China. And activists say Dubai itself has been linked to secret interrogations involving other countries. Radha Stirling, a legal advocate who founded the advocacy group Detained in Dubai, said she has worked with about a dozen people who have reported being held in villas in the UAE, including citizens of Canada, India and Jordan but not China. “There is no doubt that the UAE has detained people on behalf of foreign governments with whom they are allied,” Stirling said. “I don’t think they would at all shrug their shoulders to a request from such a powerful ally.” However, Patrick Theros, a former U.S. ambassador to Qatar who is now strategic advisor to the Gulf International Forum, called the allegations “totally out of character” for the Emiratis. “They don’t allow allies freedom of movement,” he said. “The idea that the Chinese would have a clandestine center, it makes no sense.” The U.S. State Department had no comment on Wu’s specific case or on whether there is a Chinese-run black site in Dubai. “We will continue to coordinate with allies and partners to stand against transnational repression everywhere,” it said in a statement to the AP.—— HELD IN A VILLA Wu, a Chinese millennial with cropped hair dyed blonde, never cared about politics before. But after her fiancé was arrested in Dubai on April 5 on unclear charges, she started giving interviews to media and getting in touch with overseas-based Chinese dissidents for help. On May 27, Wu said, she was questioned by Chinese officials at her hotel, the Element al-Jaddaf, and then taken by Dubai police to the Bur Dubai police station. Staff for the hotel declined in a phone interview to confirm her stay or her departure, saying it was against company policy to disclose information about guests. She was held for three days at the police station, she said, with her phone and personal belongings confiscated. On the third day, she said, a Chinese man who introduced himself as Li Xuhang came to visit her. He told her he was working for the Chinese consulate in Dubai, and asked her whether she had taken money from foreign groups to act against China. “I said no, I love China so much. My passport is Chinese. I’m a Chinese person. I speak Chinese,” she said. “I said, how could I do that?” Li Xuhang is listed as consul general on the website of the Chinese consulate in Dubai. The consulate did not return multiple calls asking for comment and to speak with Li directly. Wu said Li took her out of the police station along with another Chinese man who handcuffed her, and they put her in a black Toyota. There were multiple Chinese people in the car, but Wu was too scared to get a clear look at their faces.Her heart thumping, they drove past an area where many Chinese lived and owned businesses in Dubai called International City, which Wu recognized from an earlier trip to Dubai. After driving for half an hour, they stopped on a deserted street with rows of identical compounds. She was brought inside a white-colored villa with three stories, where a series of rooms had been converted into individual cells, she said. The house was quiet and cold in contrast with the desert heat. Wu was taken to her own cell, a room which had been renovated to have a heavy metal door. There was a bed in her room, a chair and a white fluorescent light that was on all day and night. The metal door remained closed except when they fed her. “Firstly, there’s no sense of time,” Wu said. “And second, there’s no window, and I couldn’t see if it was day or night.” Wu said a guard took her to a room several times where they questioned her in Chinese and threatened that she would never be allowed to leave. The guards wore face masks all the time. She saw another prisoner, a Uyghur woman, while waiting to use the bathroom once, she said. A second time, she heard a Uyghur woman shouting in Chinese, “I don’t want to go back to China, I want to go back to Turkey.” Wu identified the women as Uyghurs based on what she said was their distinctive appearance and accent. Wu said she was fed twice a day, with the second meal a stack of plain flatbread. She had to ask the guards for permission to drink water or go to the bathroom. She was supposed to be allowed to go the bathroom a maximum of five times a day, Wu said, but that depended on the mood of the guards. The guards also gave her a phone and a SIM card and instructed her to call her fiancé and pastor Bob Fu, the head of ChinaAid, a Christian non-profit, who was helping the couple. Wang confirmed to the AP that Wu called and asked him for his location. Fu said he received at least four or five calls from her during this time, a few on an unknown Dubai phone number, including one where she was crying and almost incoherent. She again blamed Wang and said Fu should not help him. The AP also reviewed text messages Wu sent to Fu at the time, which are disjointed and erratic. “I could tell she was hiding from telling me her whereabouts,” said Fu. “At that point we concluded that something has happened to her that prevented her from even talking.” Wu said towards the end of her stay, she refused meals, screamed and cried in an effort to be released. The last thing her captors demanded of her, she said, was to sign documents in Arabic and English testifying that Wang was harassing her. “I was really scared and was forced to sign the documents,” she told the AP. “I didn’t want to sign them.”__ HUB FOR CHINESE INTELLIGENCE Reports have emerged in recent years of Emiratis and foreigners being taken to villas, sometimes indefinitely. Perhaps the best-known case involves Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the daughter of the ruler of Dubai. Sheikha Latifa tried to flee in 2018 by boat, but was intercepted by the Indian coast guard in the Arabian Sea and handed back to the UAE. In videos published by the BBC in February, she claims she was held against her will in a villa in Dubai. “I’m a hostage,” she says in one of the videos. “This villa has been converted into jail.” A statement since issued on behalf of Sheikha Latifa said she is now free to travel. China and the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula, have deep economic and political ties and also work together on counterintelligence. China ratified an extradition treaty with the UAE in 2002 and a judicial cooperation treaty in 2008. The UAE was an experimental site for China’s COVID vaccines and cooperated with China on making tests. Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto ruler of the UAE, has said he was willing to work with China to “jointly strike against terrorist extremist forces”, including the East Turkestan Islamic Movement, a militant group Beijing has accused of fostering Uyghur separatism. In late 2017 and early 2018, local authorities arrested and deported at least five Uyghurs to China, according to four friends and relatives who spoke by phone with the AP. In one case, a long-time UAE resident, Ahmad Talip, was called in for questioning at a local police station and detained, according to his wife, Amannisa Abdullah, who is now in Turkey. In another case, eight plainclothes officers broke into a hotel room and arrested a 17-year-old boy who had just fled a police raid in Egypt. The detentions were carried out by Arabs who appeared to be UAE police, not Chinese agents, the Uyghurs said. However, one of the detainees, Huseyin Imintohti, was sought by three Chinese agents at a Uyghur restaurant in Dubai before his deportation, according to his wife, Nigare Yusup. Another Uyghur detainee, Yasinjan Memtimin, was interrogated twice by people in the UAE who appeared to be Chinese police, said his wife, who declined to be named out of fear of retribution. She said she had heard from a Uyghur who fled overseas of a detention facility in the UAE where Uyghurs were detained and interrogated, but she could not offer more details. The UAE appears to be a hub for Chinese intelligence on Uyghurs in the Middle East, former Uyghur residents told The AP. A Uyghur linguist, Abduweli Ayup, said he had spoken with three Uyghurs coerced into working as spies in Turkey who passed through Dubai to pick up SIM cards and cash and meet Chinese agents. Jasur Abibula, a former Xinjiang government worker, also told the AP that Chinese state security lured him from the Netherlands to the UAE in 2019 after his ex-wife, Asiye Abdulaheb, obtained confidential documents on internment camps in Xinjiang. He was greeted by a dozen or so people working for the Chinese government in Dubai, he said, including at least two who introduced themselves as working for China’s Ministry of State Security. One, a Uyghur man in his fifties who gave his name as Dolet, said he was stationed in Dubai. The other, a Han Chinese man who spoke fluent Uyghur, said he was on a mission to uncover the source of the leaks, according to Abibula. The agents presented Abibula with a USB and asked him to insert it in his ex-wife’s computer. They offered him money, put him up in a Hilton resort and bought toys for his kids. They also threatened him, showing him a video of his mother back in China. On a drive through dunes of sand, one said it reminded him of the deserts back in Xinjiang. “If we kill and bury you here, nobody will able to find your body,” he recalled them telling him. Abibula is now back in the Netherlands, where the AP spoke to him by phone, and he sent photos of some of the agents, his hotel and his plane ticket to support his claims. Besides the UAE, many other countries have cooperated with China in sending Uyghurs back. In 2015, Thailand repatriated over 100 Uyghurs to China. In 2017, Egyptian police detained hundreds of Uyghur students and residents and sent them back as well. Rodney Dixon, a London-based rights lawyer representing Uyghur groups, said his team has filed a case against Tajikistan in the International Criminal Court, accusing local authorities of aiding China in deporting Uyghurs.___ “I’M AFRAID TO CALL YOU” After Wu was released, she was taken back to the same hotel she had stayed at and given her personal belongings. She immediately reached out to Fu, apologized for her past calls and asked for help, in text messages seen by the AP. “I’m afraid to call you,” she told Fu in one message. “I’m afraid I will be overheard.” On June 11, she flew out of Dubai to Ukraine, where she was reunited with Wang. After threats from Chinese police that Wang could face extradition from Ukraine, the couple fled again to the Netherlands. Wu said she misses her homeland. “I’ve discovered that the people deceiving us are Chinese, that it’s our countrymen hurting our own countrymen,” she said. “That is the situation.” AP Staff writers Nomaan Merchant and Matthew Lee contributed to this report from Washington, D.C. original article can be read HERE

Radha Stirling talks secret prisons with Associated Press

A young Chinese woman says she was held for eight days at a Chinese-run secret detention facility in Dubai along with at least two...

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By Chris Sweeny Chris Sweeney is an author and columnist who has written for newspapers such as The Times, Daily Express, The Sun and Daily Record, along with several international-selling magazines. Follow him on Twitter @Writes_Sweeney Original article in full here At the heart of the planned legal action is the daring – and probably illegal – high seas mission by Sheikh Mohammed to snatch his daughter back from a yacht in the Indian Ocean in 2018, one of Latifa’s confidantes tells RT. Nothing is ever quite what it seems to be when it comes to Dubai, a very sunny place full of very shady characters in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This shiny modern metropolis, built at fabulous expense, is a magnet for the world’s intelligence agents, dodgy businessmen and rich people who enjoy eating the $14 oysters flown in from France at Atmosphere, the highest restaurant in the world, a quarter of a mile up the stupendous 828-meter-high Burj Khalifa tower. In this Arabian Gotham-on-sand, ruled over with an iron fist by the staggeringly wealthy Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum , there are enough dramas, and plots within plots, to keep the most demanding Hollywood producer busy for years. Few of these dramas, however, come close to matching the three-year saga involving Princess Latifa, a daughter of Dubai’s ruler and therefore a member of one of the world’s most powerful royal families. “ I wanted to preserve that evidence and share it with a variety of people, lawyers and journalists, to ensure I wasn’t the only one with a copy in case I disappeared .” Those were the thoughts of Radha Stirling, a crisis manager and Middle Eastern policy advisor (and a fierce critic of Dubai’s ruling family), on March 5, 2018, after watching a video recorded by Princess Latifa, then aged 32. The drama had begun the day before when Stirling received a phone call from Latifa, who was on board a yacht in the Indian Ocean, having carried out an audacious attempt to flee what she called the repressive control of her father. Her bid for freedom, however, went badly wrong: Eight days into her journey, the boat was caught by commandos sent by her father in a joint UAE-Indian military raid, who forcibly removed Latifa and returned her to Dubai. As the dramatic smash-and-grab at sea was being carried out, a terrified Latifa phoned Stirling in London, who had been due to help her with her desire to get asylum in America. Recalling that fateful day in an interview with RT.com, Stirling explains: “ I was waiting by the phone, so if anything happened I could swing into action immediately. “ She said, ‘There are men on board, I can hear gunshots’. I said hang up and quickly record as much as you can and send it to me as evidence. “ But at that point they blocked out all communications from the yacht and she was unable to get it through to me. I didn’t hear from her again .” The commandos captured everyone on board before returning them to Dubai. The yacht’s captain, Herve Jaubert, a former French intelligence agent, was badly beaten and left in a pool of his own blood. “ When Jaubert arrived in the UAE, he was told he would be cut up into little pieces and scattered in the desert ,” Stirling tells me. Her father got his daughter (one of his 25 children) back and later said that he considered this a “ rescue mission ”. But what he did not know was that Latifa had left a backup plan that Stirling was to enact on her behalf: the now infamous video of the princess labelling her father a murderer – “he is pure evil” – and describing her torment. After long months of complete silence about Latifa’s fate, former Irish president Mary Robinson was photographed having lunch with her in Dubai late in 2018, and described her as a “ troubled ” and “ vulnerable ” young woman who regretted planning her escape. Robinson said that while the princess was a “ very likeable young woman ,” she needed the medical care she was receiving. Then in February this year, the plot thickened again: The BBC broadcast videos secretly recorded by Princess Latifa in which she described her capture and imprisonment after her return to Dubai. She said she was being held alone without access to medical or legal help in a villa with windows and doors barred shut, guarded by police. Mrs. Robinson told the programme she regretted what she had said back in 2018, and felt she had been “ duped ”. - Sheikha Latifa: Mary Robinson 'backed Dubai version of events' Now, to add to the intrigue, over the last few weeks a series of photos have emerged showing a smiling Latifa with a friend called Sioned Taylor, including ones of them in a Dubai shopping mall and at Madrid airport, and another with a cousin of Latifa’s in Iceland. Law firm Taylor Wessing also released a statement claiming to be from her, saying she wanted to live in peace without media scrutiny. Stirling, who has not heard from Latifa since 2018, finds this all more than a little odd, and isn’t buying the line that all is now well. “ From the testimony she’s previously given it wouldn’t seem congruent that she’s suddenly OK ,” she says. “ Every time she’s had access to a telephone or private communication, she has expressed that she has continued to be oppressed, locked up or denied her freedom. “ There is still obviously concern while she’s not speaking for herself. The UAE government’s perspective is that a prominent celebrity or famous person is going to communicate to the press via their lawyers, and they have no obligation to present Latifa to the media, but then that leaves the rest of the world wondering – is she doing this voluntarily or under duress? ” Stirling believes Sheikh Mohammed has put in place a sophisticated media propaganda plan to control the narrative of the affair, and assure the world that all is fine now. If so, it’s working. This week, after the release of the Iceland picture, the Free Latifa campaign group – which Stirling and Jaubert broke with years ago – announced it was shutting down . Jaubert, the former French intelligence officer, is adamant that all this is being staged and manipulated by Dubai. “ It is difficult to reconcile that the woman who planned her escape for seven years and who recently released videos speaking of the pressure Dubai had bestowed upon her to agree to their ‘propaganda’ plan, is truly free ,” he says. “ I hope she is. In any event, she should never have been kidnapped from a US-flagged yacht in international waters. She was abducted and forced against her will to Dubai, with the help of India. We intend to pursue justice for the victims and accountability for those who orchestrated the violent, military attack on ‘Nostromo’. " He and Stirling say they are about to file a legal case against the UAE in American courts. Why there? Well, any legal action in the UAE would be quickly dismissed, due to Sheikh Mohammed’s influence – while Jaubert is an American citizen and the yacht, ‘Nostromo’, is US-flagged. There are also questions over the role the FBI had in Latifa’s capture – an investigation by USA Today claims that its agents obtained and supplied data about the yacht's location to the Dubai government after being told the princess had been kidnapped. It’s also alleged that the Indian government, in supplying its troops, also played a key role. - USA Today says FBI helped Dubai capture princess “ All action will be launched in the United States and we will potentially look at an action in India ,” Stirling tells me. “We’ve asked for comment from the US State Department, the White House and the FBI, and we’ve of course been met with silence. “ We were advised about FBI involvement back in 2018, so it’s wonderful that we now have a proper investigation that has shown their involvement, which gives us the basis and the reason to go ahead with litigation . “ It’s a precedent-setting legal action that will uncover a lot of maritime law and things that do really need to be clarified in international law .” She says the charges to be filed will include: human trafficking, piracy, abduction, torture, unfair detention and Interpol abuse, as the UAE portrayed the incident as a kidnapping before that claim was withdrawn. Stirling explains: “ The story that was told to them [the FBI] allegedly from the UAE was that she had been kidnapped. “ But it’s difficult to reconcile that the US, with all of their security knowledge, didn’t know the truth behind the scenes. The UAE and the US have the strongest relationship of any allies in the Middle East. They need to be held to account to ensure all people and US citizens are safe to travel. ” - FBI role in Nostromo attack & Princess Latifa abduction deflected by White House press secretary The ‘rescue’ operation was so rapid that Stirling was the only person aware before alerting the world’s media. “ The speed at which they deployed a number of military vessels to the region to recover a single princess was incredible ,” she says. “ There were five warships and they forcibly towed ‘Nostromo’ back to the UAE. The fact the US allowed that to happen without participating by sending any of their own military to ensure a US citizen was protected, even if they had condoned the attack, is unbelievable. ” Alongside their legal action, Stirling and Jaubert have launched a website to counter what they term is disinformation against them, including claims, made by Jaubert’s ex-wife, that the whole enterprise was designed to extract money from the Sheikh. Stirling believes her personal safety has been compromised: “You’re going up against a foreign government, they don’t like what you have to say, so they are going to put disinformation campaigns against you. “ Last year, I was approached by what appeared to be an Israeli security company and they tried to extract information from me under the guise of being a Moroccan billionaire who wanted to assist to promote human rights in the UAE. - Israeli Snoop-for-Hire Posed as a Fox News Journalist for a Spy Operation “ It’s been a constant battle. When I get emails, I have to look at each one and work out, is this a UAE spy or a genuine client? It’s almost a war zone at times .” Before this, Stirling had been involved in many high profile cases involving Dubai but the royal element has changed the landscape. “Although they involved prominent Emiratis on the other end of the complaint, litigation or criminal action, it wasn’t really an issue until the royals started getting involved. “ Before this, we could post on social media and share photographs. Now we’re absolutely careful about that, we always use a VPN and we’re under strict instructions for the security of myself and my staff. “ I don’t announce my location until after I’ve left and I’m not going to be travelling to any countries that I would deem risky that would perhaps extradite me extrajudicially. ” Stirling’s website is now banned in the UAE and she’s regularly attacked in the local media for “ spreading lies ”. She has also sent her phone details to Amnesty, following the recent NSO/Pegasus phone hacking scandal , as the UAE was outed as a prolific user of the system. Stirling hopes the legal action will hold to account the conduct of India, US and the UAE, but she also believes it has deeper implications. “ It’s extremely concerning that an ally of the UK and the United States, India, got involved in something that was illegal, ” she says. “ They had absolutely no right to attack a yacht in international waters. But also the fact they haven’t been sanctioned by the United States for attacking a US-flagged yacht, that should have had the protection of the US, is extremely concerning. “ It means anyone on a yacht anywhere in the ocean can just be seized by another country. We’re giving the green light to other countries to do whatever they want without sanctioning them and even assisting them to cover up what is essentially a crime. “ It wasn’t just an Emirati princess that was abused, it was another five foreign nationals, including a US citizen and nothing was done about that. The act was just so arrogant. ” What the full truth of this murky affair is, and what eventually becomes of Latifa, is hard to judge. Will she disappear like her sister, Sheikha Shamsa, similarly kidnapped by Sheikh Mohammed back in 2000? “ Latifa has created her own legacy and that was something she communicated to me ,” Stirling concludes. “ That even if she didn't make it, she would be happy at least to leave a mark on the world that things might change in the future. “ That women [in the Middle East] are going to have more freedom in the future is because her case will be known about. “ As far as my own legacy, I want to ensure things like this cannot happen, that the UAE does not feel emboldened to do whatever they want, wherever they want. We will continue to help women who are suffering, simply because they contact us and ask us to help. ”

The saga of Dubai’s Princess Latifa. Radha Stirling talks to RT.

By Chris Sweeny Chris Sweeney is an author and columnist who has written for newspapers such as The Times, Daily Express, The Sun and...

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Nichole Coffel speaks for the first time about the shocking Abu Dhabi system that saw her facing prison for asking for her wages. Focus Features and LA Times brings you “Arrested in Abu Dhabi”, an investigative podcast featuring US national, Nichole Coffel who was detained in Abu Dhabi on trumped up allegations from her former employer, an Emirati elite. Nichole was charged under the UAE’s notoriously vague cybercrime laws. Nichole was bitten by a horse during the course of her employment. She suffered severe injuries and equally severe medical bills. When Nichole asked for her wages, her employer made a criminal complaint against Nichole and her nightmare began. In this fascinating podcast, Nichole discusses her terrifying ordeal for the first time since her release. Radha Stirling , CEO of Detained in Dubai supported Nichole, contacting the complainant directly and raising the case to the international media and Senators in the United States. Stirling warns Americans that anyone who enters the UAE, will be in violation of their impossibly strict cybercrime laws and could face detention in a system that has little regard for innocence or guilt. Related media and resources: - Emirati jockey who promised to drop charges against American mother & horse bite victim (Detained in Dubai) - Americans detained in Dubai - A by-product of UAE lobbying? (Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre ) - Woman faces “£100,000 fine and 2 years in prison” for WhatsApp message in Dubai ( Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre )

CONVICTED - LA Times Podcast American Arrested in Abu Dhabi

Nichole Coffel speaks for the first time about the shocking Abu Dhabi system that saw her facing prison for asking for her wages. Focus...

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Shocking interview with Wolfgang Douglas reveals Albert Douglas has been suffering a dislocated shoulder since being beaten in a UAE prison. After extensive campaigning and complaints to the British government, Albert was finally seen by a medical professional who was “stunned” that he had not been to hospital. Albert was told that he would need surgery to mend his broken shoulder but that surgery wouldn’t take place for another several months. This comes on top of his dizzy spells, his vision problems and the denial of his heart medication. “He’s laid there for the last six months in pain from the beatings, despite being 100% categorically innocent”, explains Wolfgang. The prosecution told Albert “we know you’re not guilty, but this is Dubai”. All of this is happening in a country that the UK goes out of its way to promote, even covering up human rights violations. Wolfgang tells of his trouble with the British FCDO who he says have perpetuated the lies told by the UAE in respect of Albert having been denied his medication. Detained in Dubai CEO and Gulf in Justice host Radha Stirling highlights corruption within the UAE judiciary, noting that Albert and his family have been targeted by police, by Sheikhs and by expats and lawyers seeking money to get him free. “When they become successful, they become a target. This is an ongoing issue in the UAE, that when someone is imprisoned, a lot of people will come forward to the family and ask them for money who then just keep the money. He’s become prey to a system that allows for that, and then we have people like Lord Udny-Lister in the UK, promoting the country as a safe place to invest. He is not even mentioning that so many investors in the UAE have ended up scapegoated or victimised. It’s not like the UK where you’re afforded a fair trial and where you can defend yourself and prove your innocence. “When people visit the UAE, they expect an equivalent glitzy, glamorous legal system to match the 7 star hotels. Albert had faith that he would be able to prove his innocence. He had all of the evidence to do so but wasn’t even afforded the chance. He couldn’t get a judge to look at it beyond 5 minutes.” Albert Douglas had been a huge supporter of the UAE from the beginning. Wolfgang has made it a mission to warn investors and businesses of the real risks Dubai poses. “For a little bit of money, you risk your humanity and your life”. Further related media and resources: - Listen to the Gulf in Justice Podcast before you go to Dubai. - A website dedicated to #FreeAlbert has been launched by Detained in Dubai. Listen to Albert's direct testimony here - Gulf in Justice Podcast with Radha Stirling - London grandad 'is beaten and forced to watch torture after being jailed on false charges' - Bring Albert Home from Dubai campaign gathers pace as Romany Gypsy supporters rally in London | Travellers Times

Gulf in Justice Podcast with Radha Stirling - interview with Wolfgang Douglas. #FreeAlbert Campaign

Shocking interview with Wolfgang Douglas reveals Albert Douglas has been suffering a dislocated shoulder since being beaten in a UAE...

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Princess Latifa photo campaign continues in Iceland Sioned Taylor, who has been working for the Dubai royals for a number of years, has published another tourist photo to her Instagram account, showing Princess Latifa in Iceland with Marcus Essabri. “Although Princess Latifa has not communicated directly to the public or via her own social media accounts, her appointed lawyers in London have been communicating her wish to ‘lead a quiet life out of the media spotlight’ to British journalists and campaigners”, said Radha Stirling , the founder of Detained in Dubai who Latifa called in the middle of the attack on Nostromo. “The United Nations has followed Latifa’s case from the beginning in 2018 when we instructed Toby Cadman QC. Since then, they have expressed grave concerns for her safety and demanded proof of life and her freedom. The UN is the correct forum to continue to monitor Latifa’s plight and we have submitted relevant evidence and testimony to the body since her capture”, added Stirling. “The attack on Nostromo was unprecedented and it was brutal”, commented Captain Hervé Jaubert, the former French secret service agent who helped Latifa escape. “We were in international waters when the military attack took place and we were all violently forced to the UAE, the country from which Latifa was seeking asylum. We should have been protected by Nostromo’s US flag and Latifa should never have been taken against her will”. USA Today recently reported that the FBI was crucially involved in the attack that led to the capture of all onboard Nostromo. Detained in Dubai and Due Process International are continuing to investigate the incident. “We have set up a new campaign “ Nostromo Attack ” which will be updated with content we are able to extract from whistleblowers and from legal disclosure mandates”, explained Stirling. “This unprecedented act of violence against all onboard and including a US citizen under the US flag, must not be ignored. The escalation of lawless acts and offences committed extrajudicially will only end in more bloodshed. If the US was responsible for aiding their ally, they need to confront this tragic truth and ensure it never happens again”.

Princess Latifa photo campaign continues in Iceland

Princess Latifa photo campaign continues in Iceland Sioned Taylor, who has been working for the Dubai royals for a number of years, has...

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A British woman on holiday in Spain with her friend was arrested after Qatar issued a red notice against her, alleging a cheap plane ticket was bought in her name with a stolen credit card several years ago. The woman must now undergo legal proceedings in Spain to defend herself against an extradition request if it is forthcoming. This comes after Steven Williams’ arrest in Spain over a Qatar National Bank issued Interpol Red Notice over a debt he didn’t owe. Last year, Scot Conor Howard was detained in Greece after a frivolous notice was issued against him for carrying a store bought herb grinder while transiting through Doha from Australia. Conor spent nearly a month in prison with his distraught family expecting the worst, that he would be extradited to a Middle Eastern prison. - Greece bails Scotsman Conor Howard in Qatar extradition Interpol & Extradition expert witness, Radha Stirling , has noticed a sharp increase in Qatar issued red notices. “Since Qatar’s commitment to financially invest in Interpol, it is clear they feel entitled to use Interpol as their personal debt collectors and harassment agents in a ‘pay to play’ agreement with the agency.” British national and former police officer David Blackhouse was pulled over on the side of a road in Cornwall and dragged into custody. Stirling commented, “this case is absolutely appalling. British authorities should know better than to arrest first and ask questions later. The UK is well aware of the gulf nations tendency to abuse Interpol’s database. Mr Blackhouse should never have been treated this way and Interpol must be held to account. We are currently preparing a class action for victims of Interpol Abuse, which will include Conor Howard”. After thirteen years of specialising in defending extradition requests and fighting against ‘Interpol Abuse’ , Stirling founded organisation IPEX (Interpol and Extradition) Reform , a comprehensive initiative to address the widespread and multilayered problems with the current framework of the extradition process, including the many flaws in Interpol itself as an organisation. - The King of Interpol Abuse “Interpol is complicit in numerous and serious human rights abuses and will soon be held to account. Interpol has become a pay to play organisation, open to manipulation and abuse by countries with poor human rights records. Countries like the UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Egypt and China have been able to use the crime tool for their own personal vendettas. Countries like the Emirates have used Interpol’s reach to extend their jurisdiction beyond their borders, causing the arrest, detention and prosecution abroad of many innocent victims. Innocent individuals have been listed on Interpol, arrested, detained and tried for ‘crimes’ that don’t even meet Interpol’s minimum reporting criteria. Journalists, activists, businessmen and credit card debtors have been locked up in Western nations at the mere request of countries who repeatedly take advantage of their membership with Interpol.” Related media and resources: Home | IPEX Reform Interpol & Extradition Reform, Expert Witness, Interpol Removal, Crisis Management INTERPOL RED NOTICE REMOVAL Interpol Red Notice Removal, Extradition Defence, Expert Witness and Litigation support

Brit arrested in Spain over Qatar Interpol warrant

A British woman on holiday in Spain with her friend was arrested after Qatar issued a red notice against her, alleging a cheap plane...

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"My name is Danielle Jeffries. Thankfully, Radha Stirling of Detained in Dubai generated media coverage for my case, which was then brought to the attention of his highness, Sheikh Mohammed Al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai. I would like to thank Radha Stirling for her unyielding intervention on my behalf. "I'm also grateful to the UAE government for working to get to the bottom of my circumstance and realising that I had been wrongfully accused by my competitor. I'm now ba​​​​​ck at home in the United States and have been cleared of any and all accusations. Thank you Radha, for your support". "Danielle Jeffries was completely exonerated of all charges against her. Stirling and Detained in Dubai led a campaign that saw the US government step in to intervene for their citizen. "We are delighted that the US government and Embassy was so helpful in Danielle's case. It was complicated and a challenge, but she was released very quickly following mutual governmental cooperation. However, she should never have been charged in the first place" , said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai.

Danielle Jeffries thanks Radha Stirling following return to Miami from Dubai

"My name is Danielle Jeffries. Thankfully, Radha Stirling of Detained in Dubai generated media coverage for my case, which was then...

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John Nicholas was wrongfully listed on Qatar's Interpol Red Notice database by Qatar National Bank for a small bank loan which Mr Nicholas had almost entirely discharged by the time he left Qatar. QNB added atrocious charges to try to escalate the claiming amount beyond Interpol's minimum 15,000 Euro threshold for a Red Notice. Mr Nicholas was the victim of Interpol Abuse and is joining Stirling's other clients in a class action against Interpol. - Related Press Release from July 3, 2021 here: Over the past three years, Qatar has significantly increased its use of Interpol’s database, leading to the temporary arrests of a number of foreign nationals in countries like Britain, Greece and Turkey. “It’s absurd that Qatar has been permitted by Interpol to use their database as a means to collect bank and credit card debts from foreign nationals”, said expert witness Radha Stirling , CEO of IPEX (Interpol and Extradition) Reform . Banks have pressured Qatari law enforcement to report even small debtors to Interpol, with a view to having them detained abroad and pressured to discharge credit cards and loans. This is clearly against INTERPOL’s charter and is a violation of their membership agreement but, as usual, Interpol would rather accept the donations from Middle Eastern countries and remain silent, than to punish them for abusing Interpol’s power and reputation. - An Emirati’s potential appointment as Interpol head draws criticism “These people are not being arrested because EU countries respect Qatar. They are being arrested because Qatar is routing their request through a reputable organisation, but that organisation is losing respect fast. “Conor Howard was recently arrested in Greece over an herb grinder. It was a joke and he was finally released after a worldwide campaign. Alan Stevenson was arrested in Czech where local authorities called it “an abuse of his rights”. British national, Steve Williams, was detained in Mallorca over a Qatar bank debt that had been trebled. - Stevenson detention ‘an abuse of his rights’ “We are pleased that we have today received word that a British national’s name has been deleted from Interpol’s database, but it should never have been there in the first place. It was another frivolous notice issued by a bank, portraying that the victim was some kind of seasoned criminal. Interpol allowed themselves a significant amount of time to review his case before finally removing it but there is no apology, no punishment for Qatar and no compensation for the victim. “The pattern of abuse and the history of corruption within Interpol should be sufficient for the elimination of their sovereign immunity. They are not acting on behalf of governments. They are acting on behalf of their financial donors, banks and influential private corporations and individuals. They have no right to claim diplomatic immunity”. “Interpol is complicit in numerous and serious human rights abuses and will soon be held to account. Interpol has become a pay to play organisation, open to manipulation and abuse by countries with poor human rights records. Countries like the UAE, Saudi, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Egypt and China have been able to use the crime tool for their own personal vendettas. Countries like the Emirates have used Interpol’s reach to extend their jurisdiction beyond their borders, causing the arrest, detention and prosecution abroad of many innocent victims. Innocent individuals have been listed on Interpol, arrested, detained and tried for “crimes” that don’t even meet Interpol’s minimum reporting criteria. Journalists, activists, businessmen and credit card debtors have been locked up in Western nations at the mere request of countries who repeatedly take advantage of their membership with Interpol.” - Radha Stirling ipexreform.com / www.radhastirling.com

John Nicholas Testimonial for Radha Stirling - Interpol Red Notice Removal from Qatar

John Nicholas was wrongfully listed on Qatar's Interpol Red Notice database by Qatar National Bank for a small bank loan which Mr...

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FBI involvement in attack on US flagged yacht in international waters, deflected by White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Victims of the Nostromo attack are appalled that instead of offering the US flagged yacht protection from piracy, aggravated assault and abduction, they assisted the offenders and put American lives at risk. A USA Today report makes some serious allegations against the FBI, including violations of protocol and negligence that led to the violent assault and abduction of a US citizen. The report alleges that Sheikh Mohammed claimed to US agents that Latifa had been kidnapped, despite her history of escape attempts. The FBI, it alleges, wanted to play ‘hero’ and help the Sheikh by obtaining locational data via Nostromo’s US based satellite provider, KVH. In the absence of a subpoena, the FBI may have violated local laws and protocols in doing so. The FBI, The UAE Embassy in Washington DC, the White House and the State department declined to comment. According to the source, “The FBI appeared to have departed from its own guidelines for legal attachés, known as "legats," whose collective mission is to cultivate ties with host countries and advance global law enforcement cooperation. Rather than seek a subpoena for Nostromo’s location, they circumvented protocols by contacting KVH and pleading a “public safety emergency”. “If indeed the FBI were involved in assisting Dubai, they were clearly deceived by the UAE who were fully aware that Princess Latifa had fled of her own volition. In any case, if the FBI were to assist a foreign government attack a US flagged yacht in international waters with a US citizen on board, they breached protocol. They did not attempt to contact Nostromo. They did not send US forces to assist or supervise the UAE or to prevent the violent assault of their citizens by allied forces”, said Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai who was contacted by Princess Latifa and Hervé Jaubert during the attack. Stirling instructed the United Nations involvement on behalf of Princess Latifa and Hervé Jaubert, reported the attack to authorities and released Latifa’s video to the media. - Follow our Telegram channel for instant updates: Telegram: Contact @sheikhalatifa Several CIA and FBI agents have been baffled by the allegation of involvement. They find it hard to believe that they would circumvent protocols, but it would not be the first time. Stirling continued, “There are a number of explanations for how Nostromo may have been located, and we intend to get to the bottom of this through a series of Freedom of Information requests and legal actions. However, the main issue has always been that the people onboard Nostromo had every right to feel safe and under the protection of international law. “Nostromo should never have been violently attacked. When forces boarded the yacht, Latifa repeatedly requested asylum and informed them she did not want to return to Dubai. She said she would rather die. If there was previously any doubt, it became clear at this point that the allegations of kidnapping were false. Still though, Nostromo and all onboard were abducted and forced to the UAE. “The UAE has never compensated the victims of the attack nor accepted responsibility, nor suffered sanctions for misleading the United States and India by falsely stating that Latifa had been kidnapped. “This was not the first time the ruler’s daughter had escaped. His other daughter, Sheikha Shamsa, also fled his custody in England and she too, was kidnapped and returned to the UAE”. “This incident needs to be properly analysed by the US government and the courts to ensure it never happens again. No US citizen on a US flagged yacht should ever be abducted again. This was a blatant violation of international law and the beginning of the escalating belligerence of Gulf nationals, ultimately leading to Khashoggi’s execution. “We must ensure justice is done in this case, or we will see more acts of violence in the future.” Further resources: - Official | Nostromo Attack Resource Centre Official resource centre for journalists, law enforcement and investigators covering the Nostromo attack and abduction of Princess Latifa and Hervé Jaubert

FBI role in Nostromo attack & Princess Latifa abduction deflected by White House press secretary

FBI involvement in attack on US flagged yacht in international waters, deflected by White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Victims of...

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Andy Slaughter discusses how human rights are being overlooked with UAE trade deals being prioritised by the British government. The MP criticises the FCDO & calls for UK government action on the Gulf in Justice Podcast with Radha Stirling . “It’s something that should really worry the government very much. It’s very difficult not to conclude that a blind eye is being turned because of the advantages. It could be trade and commerce, it could be defence but that should not trump the human rights of the individual citizens”. In a letter to Foreign Minister, Rt Hon. Dominic Raab, Slaughter and Baroness Whitaker, MP called for an increase in travel warnings and potential sanctions for human rights violations committed against British citizens like Albert Douglas. - Baroness & MP call for increased travel warnings to UAE and Sanctions Grandfather Albert Douglas was detained in Dubai over his son’s business debts, something that Radha Stirling, regional expert and host of Gulf in Justice , explains is very common in the UAE. Detained in Dubai ’s client Morag Koussa , a British national, was released last year after being held for her estranged husband’s bank debts. Albert Douglas, in a recorded phone call from prison, testified as to human rights violations, torture and the deprivation of much needed heart medication. Yet, the British government has not made the effort to request an inquiry into his unfair detention. - “The UAE is not safe for British nationals” - Baroness Whitaker Stirling, an Expert Witness in extradition cases, confirms that British courts refuse to extradite to the UAE based on ‘the real risk of human rights violations, unfair trials and torture’. “So why has the UK not reflected these High Court rulings in their travel warnings to British nationals?”. Slaughter calls out the FCDO “If we have this good relationship with the UAE, why are we not using that relationship to put pressure on the UAE, especially with British nationals”. What is clear from this episode of Gulf in Justice , is that the UK is increasingly dependent on the UAE as a trade partner and a significant investor into UK infrastructure and private business. The UAE has paid its way to influence policy at the highest levels in the UK and the US which is putting individuals at increased and significant risk of grave violations. Related resources and media: - UAE influence a human rights catastrophe. Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre - FCO talks to Grandfather beaten and forced to drink from toilet in Dubai jail - Scottish Mum abandoned by husband in Dubai and held over his debts, finally returns home

Andy Slaughter, MP criticises FCDO, calls for UK government action on the Gulf in Justice Podcast

Andy Slaughter discusses how human rights are being overlooked with UAE trade deals being prioritised by the British government. The MP...

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Two US citizens and one Emirati have been charged with acting and conspiring to act as agents of the UAE between April 2016 and April 2018, without registering as lobbyists for a foreign government. One American, Thomas Joseph Barrack, is also charged with making false statements to investigators and obstruction of justice. Barrack was an advisor to then-presidential candidate Donald Trump, raising questions about the UAE’s influence over his administration’s policy towards the oil-rich Gulf nation. The larger issue, according to regional expert and CEO of Due Process International and Detained in Dubai , Radha Stirling , is the UAE’s influence in Washington overall. Stirling, who works on behalf of foreign nationals abused by the legal system in the United Arab Emirates, has documented endemic human rights violations and judicial malpractice in the country, and says the UAE continues to enjoy immunity for its actions. “ Obviously, disclosure is important, both legally and ethically ,” Stirling commented on the case, “ But I am not particularly comfortable with the influence the UAE wields in Washington either way. There are at least 20 different firms registered as foreign agents working for the UAE, being paid tens of millions of dollars. UAE lobbyists have dealt with hundreds of congressional offices in the past 5 years, they coordinate with think tanks, fund institutes, and work with every major media outlet. All of that is disclosed, legal, and obviously impacts US policy in favour of the UAE. What we learn from this case is what we should already know: the UAE is relentless in trying to control Western policy in the Gulf, and will stop at nothing to obscure their own abuses, human rights violations and the despotic behaviour of the rulers.” - The King of Interpol Abuse Stirling suggests that the case against Barrack, Matthew Grimes, and UAE national Rashid Sultan Rashid Al Malik Alshahhi is more concerned with ensuring that Emirati influence is reported, rather than monitored or checked. “ Had Barrack and the others officially registered, their influence would have been the same, and no one would bat an eye. The indictment is over procedural formalities, not the matter of influence itself – which is the far more concerning issue. It is the Biden Administration, after all, that ultimately approved a $23 billion weapons sale to the UAE in April, was that decision made without pressure from the Emirates? ” Just one of the dozens of registered lobbyists for the UAE in Washington, Hagir Elawad & Associates, contacted 98 Senate offices and 132 Members of the House in one year alone, Stirling said, “ Of course these lobbying efforts are ongoing, regardless of which administration is in power, and it preserves the UAE’s immunity from scrutiny or accountability year after year. - USA Today says FBI helped Dubai capture princess “We have recently learned that the Ruler of Dubai, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, was allegedly assisted by the FBI in tracking down and capturing his fleeing daughter, Princess Latifa , in a violent raid on the American-flagged vessel Nostromo in 2018. This attack resulted in the abduction of an American citizen, who was detained, tortured, and threatened with death in custody; and there have been no consequences for the UAE over this gross breach of international law. We often characterise the Emirates’ lobbying efforts as merely image management; trying to present a positive picture of the UAE in the West; but what they are actually lobbying for is power and impunity, and they are getting it.” Whether registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act or not, Stirling explained, the UAE’s influence in Washington is dangerous, “The Ruler of Ras Al Khaimah, Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qassimi, was arrested in Minnesota in 2005 for sexually assaulting a hotel maid; but somehow the case went away. The same ruler is suspected of routinely breaking the Iran sanctions, but has never been seriously investigated, despite extensive documentation being presented to Congress. Sheikh Mohammed of Dubai carried out not one, not two, but seven abductions outside the UAE. The Emirates has allegedly engaged in illegal surveillance and hacking of Western nationals around the world; and this does not even cover the grave abuses committed against Americans and other Westerners inside the UAE. UK citizen, Lee Bradley Brown, for instance, was killed in Dubai police custody, and Emirati authorities have never cooperated with the investigation into his cause of death. By any objective standard, the UAE is a rogue state. There are British Members of Parliament who have called for sanctions against the Emirates, yet their agents and lobbyists continue to sway American and European policy. While, of course, registration of foreign agents is a serious legal issue, frankly it pales in comparison to the damaging impact of the UAE’s influence, in and of itself, on US policy in the Gulf. Related resources and media: - Official | Nostromo Attack Resource (Nostromo Legal Actions Resource Centre For Media) - Americans detained in Dubai - A by-product of UAE lobbying? ( Why does Dubai jail tourists? UAE lobbying has suppressed criminality for over a decade and it is US citizens who pay.) - Due Process International (NGO focussed on, lawful due process and fair trials, human rights and the accountability of criminals, corporations, law enforcement organisations and governments.)

UAE influence a human rights catastrophe

Two US citizens and one Emirati have been charged with acting and conspiring to act as agents of the UAE between April 2016 and April...

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