In this new episode, Radha Stirling interviews for the first time, Australian national Joe Sarlak, who has been detained in Doha for many years after being used as a scapegoat by the Qatari royal who was his local sponsor. His sponsor had secretly looted Sarlak’s business to pay for his own financial obligations, leaving business cheques to bounce that would see Sarlak locked up for years in Doha’s disastrous desert prison. With no possibility to defend himself and with no a

Conor Howard, a young Scottish man has been detained for extradition in Greece and faces deportation to Qatar over an herb grinder found in

Australian Embassy taking care of business, not citizens. Australian national Joseph Sarlak, 69, is not allowed to leave Qatar, and no one knows why. He has been stuck in the tiny Gulf nation ever since 2016 when he was made scapegoat for the embezzlement committed by his local business partner who depleted the company accounts while Joe had cheques pending to suppliers. Those cheques bounced despite Joe making every effort to arrange the funds, and Joe went to jail. He was f

Joseph Sarlak, Ranald Crook and Jonathan Nash - Detained in Doha When foreigners move to Qatar, it’s usually on the basis of an invitation, a business opportunity or a job. Doha doesn’t have the same “lifestyle appeal” that Dubai has built up; but for expats, a few years in a hot climate, perhaps with a Sheraton club membership, doesn’t sound all that bad. Most invites are extended to industry experts, particularly in the construction industry, project managers, architects, l

Qatar National Bank responsible for multiple arrests abroad “We have never seen gulf banks pursue customers as relentlessly and aggressively as the banks of Qatar. Over the past two years, banks such as Qatar National Bank (QNB) have fought to not only list debtors on Interpol’s databases as criminal fugitives, but have vigorously sought their arrest and extradition from Western countries. “We have received calls from customers relaying their horrific experiences and seeking

Amnesty joins fight for Australian’s freedom Elderly Australian citizen Joseph Sarlak should have been home a long time ago. Instead, after being released from a virtual life sentence in Qatar after being scapegoated by local business partner, he remains behind bars in an overcrowded, filthy immigration jail in Doha. Sarlak suffers from a number of serious health conditions, and has already endured 3 years without proper medical care in prison. Detained in Dubai has actively

Statement of Radha Stirling, Middle Eastern Criminal and Civil Justice Expert, Expert Witness and founder of UK based Detained in Dubai issued the following statement in relation to hunger strike of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe "The Iranian government has accused Mrs Ratcliffe of seeking to promote negative propaganda against the state by running a training course for aspiring journalists; but their wrongful detention of Nazanin the government has done far more damage to their o

While the footballing community worldwide have rallied against the extradition of Bahraini refugee and Australian asylum recipient Hakeem Alaraibi from Thailand on the grounds that he will undoubtedly face persecution, torture, and possibly death if he is returned to Bahrain; one cannot help but notice something of a paradox in the fact that Qatar is poised to host the World Cup. How different, really, is Bahrain from Qatar? Amnesty International cautions that “allegations of

British father of 3 Steven Williams from Wales, is stuck in Mallorca, Spain pending extradition proceedings to Qatar over an outstanding debt, despite having made consistent monthly payments. If Steven is sent to Qatar, he could face decades in prison. Like the UAE, Qatar has been increasingly misusing Interpol as an instrument for debt collection, though the international policing organisation has no remit to intervene in private civil disputes. Radha Stirling, a leading exp

68 year old Australian national Joseph Sarlak may spend the rest of his life in a Qatari prison after a local partner allegedly embezzled his company’s funds, and Australians are voicing their anger In 2004, Queensland native Joseph Sarlak opened Clearspan Technology in Qatar. According to the investment rules at the time, Sarlak needed to appoint a local partner who would legally have 100% ownership of the company. It was unavoidable; so Joseph selected Sheikh Khalid Fahad M

While Qatar’s Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is visiting the UK, enjoying the hospitality of London; two expats are languishing in a Doha jail and may never see England again. Jonathan Nash and Australian cellmate Joseph Sarlak have both been sentenced to what amounts to life imprisonment for nothing more than bounced cheques, a serious crime of which they were both set up. Both cases are strikingly similar, each was essentially framed by their Qatari business partners and hel

INTERPOL’s global reputation been damaged over the last decade due to their negligence in allowing member countries to misuse the international law enforcement organisation. More specifically, serious questions have been raised regarding transparency, as Interpol’s top funders have proven to also be the leading abusers of its system. Interpol, as an international organisation, has largely escaped accountability through its complex setup and a level of inaccessibility that a

Australian Family man Joe Sarlak’s nightmare began on the 31st of July 2016, nearly two years ago, when he was tricked into attending a meeting to discuss his plans to leave Qatar. He has been in Doha prison ever since and, now experiencing serious health problems, fears he will die in Doha jail. In 2004, Joe was operating a business called Clearspan Technology in Queensland & Northern NSW, Australia, when he was asked to provide a quote for a civil project for Qatar Airwa