Jamal Khashoggi
"Turkey is the world’s top jailer of journalists, and the United States has refused Turkish extradition requests in recent years over concern about political repression and alleged extrajudicial killings. Thus, even if Turkey has undeniable legal authority to try the Khashoggi suspects; it is very difficult for any nation that cares about justice to advocate extradition to Turkey."
"Ultimately, justice for Jamal Khashoggi will not be achieved through the trial of his killers (wherever that may take place, if at all), nor through symbolic punitive actions in response to his murder; rather, justice will come in the form of change in Saudi Arabia, and the broader Arab world, achieved through continuous diligence and advocacy for civil liberties, human rights, and the rule of law—not someday, but every day." Radha Stirling, CEO and founder of Detained in Dubai
Read the full article, "Justice for Jamal Khashoggi", by Radha Stirling at Inside Arabia
"Seven months before dissident Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered, Saudi Arabia’s principle ally in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates brutally abducted Sheikha Latifa Al Maktoum, the estranged and would-be dissident daughter of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, the Ruler of Dubai and UAE Prime Minister. Along with Latifa, the Emirates also abducted an American and a Finnish citizen, with the American reporting that they were told by authorities that he would be killed, chopped into pieces and disposed of in the desert.
"Now, if we are paying attention, it certainly appears that the Saudis may have been emboldened by what they saw the UAE perpetrate – which included an illegal military raid on an American civilian vessel in international waters – without significant repercussions. In March, Latifa is forcibly disappeared, in October, the vanishing of Jamal Khashoggi is botched by Saudi Arabia, with evidence of his murder revealed to the press. What we observe is an escalating trajectory of belligerence and violence, with the two Gulf allies seemingly pushing each other to new levels of despotic behaviour."
Read the full article, "Radha Stirling comments on the escalation of belligerent behaviour of the UAE" at the Detained in Dubai Blog
"The UAE has suffered a series of setbacks to their image in recent years; the escape and subsequent capture of Princess Latifa Al Maktoum, new revelations about the kidnapping of Princess Shamsa in the UK, the UAE’s role in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey, the escape and divorce proceedings by Princess Haya bint Hussein, and the child custody hearings in England that followed; together with a seemingly endless string of high profile cases of wrongful detentions and legal abuse of Westerners and other expats, have seriously damaged the UAE’s reputation globally."
Read the full article, “Normalisation with Israel must not lead to greater impunity for the UAE” by Radha Stirling at Medium