Human rights organizations are urging the United Kingdom to launch a full probe into a potential murder of Alaa al-Siddiq. The Emirati activist died in a car crash in UK.
Alaa al-Siddiq is daughter of a renowned political activist who has been under the bars in UAE for the past 8 years. She is also a top executive at the influential group ALQST in UK.
Sarah Leah Whitson issued a statement in which she explicitly mentioned the possibility of a terrorist movement: “We need UK authorities to reassure us that no foul play occured, given the Emirati and Saudi government’s record of surveilling, targeting and harassing activists and their families abroad.”
Jamal Khashoggi founded Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) in the United States. Khashoggi was murdered by Saudi agents in Turkey.
His successor in leading Dawn, Sarah Leah Whitson, is also a member of the board of directors at the ALQST. Reviewing the relationships between the people and organizations leads to scary theories about the accident. En routeone must consider Alaa al-Siddiq’s father’s activity in UAE.
The Persian Gulf Centre for Human Rights’ head also appealed for a comprehensive police probe. The center says, “Alaa al-Siddiq was in danger all the time.”
“We work in a very hostile environment and such governments as those in the Gulf are using surveillance technology to hack into our accounts,” Khalid Ibrahim said. He also hinted to what occurred to Jamal Khashoggi`.
Following a deadly crash, in which the 33-year-old Siddiq lost her life, Thames Valley Police in Oxfordshire issued a call for witnesses. The police, however, refrained from naming Alaa al-Siddiq in the statement for unknown reasons.
While the details show no evidence about a foul play against Siddiq, the investigation might reveal hidden detail about the incident.
Alaa al-Siddiq; A New Khashoggi
Based on the information provided by ALQST website, Alaa Al-Siddiq was the executive director in the institute. The founder of ALQST was Yahya Assiri, a Saudi Arabian activist in human rights issues. “Defending and advancing human rights in Saudi Arabia,” was the main goal of ALQST according to its official outlet.
She recurrently advocated for democratic change to the benefit of Emirati people. Besides, she openly protested against her father’s detention and called for his freedom.
Mohammed Abdul Razzaq Al-Siddiq, Alaa’s father, is an Emirati political protester and member of the Islamist Al Islah (reform) party. According to Alaa al-Siddiq, his father, along with 94 other activists were arrested 9 years ago based on false allegations. The group has signed a petition for the institution of a parliament in UAE.
“His citizenship was dropped, and he was given the choice of deportation or remaining in the UAE, he chose to stay after which he was arrested along with many of his companions from Al Islah group,” Alaa al-Siddiq said about his father in an interview.
A year later, a court in UAE announced Mohammed Al-Siddiq and 56 other activists as guilty. The conviction said the accused created and administered a covert unlawful organization. Challenging the founding principles of United Arab Emirate was the motivation. The group received a 10-year sentence for the push for taking power.
Alaa al-Siddiq, together with her husband, took refuge to Qatar in 2012 and resided there with other family members. An Aljazeera report says Qatar’s Deputy Prime Minister called for Alaa’s deportation to UAE in 2018 in a correspondence with Qatari officials. The two countries had a disagreement earlier over a similar case.
Saudi Arabia’s murdering dissidents opened the eyes regarding some Arab state’s potential to silence the dissidents’ voice the harshest way possible.
