Prominent UAE activist Alaa al-Siddiq dies in UK car crash
This report was first published in www.aljazeera.com and has been posted here without any alterations or editing. To read the original report, CLICK HERE
Alaa al-Siddiq, a prominent dissident Emirati rights activist and critic, has died in a car crash near 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 wider Gulf region.
“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.
The news of Alaa'a ( @alaa_q ) passing is devastating!
— Abrara (@Abrara_Rageh) June 20, 2021
Alaa is a Human Rights Defender & the daughter of a political prisoner detained in UAE since 2013.
Foul play or not (time will tell). Alaa lived and died for justice.
Justice will prevail.
Allah yer7amha ? pic.twitter.com/cD4ijMHCgC
اليوم رحلت عن هذه الدنيا الباحثة الإماراتية القديرة والأخت الصادقة المدافعة عن العدالة الأستاذة #آلاء_الصديق @alaa_q بينما يقبع والدها محمد الصديق في سجون الإمارات سيئة السمعة.
— د. عبدالله العودة (@aalodah) June 20, 2021
أسأل الله أن يتقبلها في الصالحين وأن يرزق أهلها وذويها ومحبيها الصبر والسلوان، وأن يفرّج عن والدها pic.twitter.com/yAdrscdkq8
Devastating news.
— Fatima Said (@fatimazsaid) June 20, 2021
Alaa Al-Siddiq, Director of @ALQST_En, died yesterday.
She spent most of her life fighting for the release of her father from UAE prisons & for rights of prisoners across the world. She never got to see her father be freed. Inna lilahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun. pic.twitter.com/e8n8HXuIRU
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.
Unspeakable loss. @alaa_q, an avid researcher and freedom fighter, passed away today in London. She dedicated her life to challenging the Emirati regime and fighting for the freedom of innocent prisoners. #آلاء_الصديق https://t.co/ZoU0WvSLZv
— Hussein Cheaito | حسين شعيتو ?️? (@husseinch96) June 20, 2021
A heartbreaking news.. Alaa Al-Siddiq, a veteran WHRD, who defended tirelessly the right of prisoners of conscience in her home country UAE, the Gulf & the region, passed away today in a car crash in London... #آلاء_الصديق #آلاء_الصديق https://t.co/JSxJHzIJYX
— Yasmine J. Hajar (@yasmine_hajar) June 20, 2021
Courtesy: www.aljazeera.com
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
