The Scot is now celebrating after Middle Eastern prosecutors dropped drug charges following a campaign backed by influential lawyer Radha Stirling and Kenny MacAskill MSP (Minister for Justice). Radha Stirling said the upcoming World Cup in the country forced prosecutors to drop charges in what would have been a 'potential PR nightmare for the state'. She said: "Qatar would not have wished for Conor to be arrested again in another country. "Such an arrest would have raised to

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

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

Alan Stephenson. Jailed in hellish conditions over late credit card payment Since the beginning of June, British-Australian national Alan Stevenson has been living a nightmare. Stopped in the Prague airport while en route to visit his ailing mother in the UK, Alan was informed that his name was listed on Interpol, and he was abruptly arrested and thrown into prison. Like so many other Westerners, Alan had been reported to Interpol by Qatar over an outstanding credit card debt

Joseph Sarlak at risk of death in custody as AU govt. fails to intervene on his behalf Spotlight on Qatar human rights: “69 yr old Australian Jo Sarlak phoned me crying from Qatar prison as authorities won’t issue visa to get home” - Radha Stirling, Detained in Dubai My morning coffee was disturbed by a gut wrenching phone call from Joseph Sarlak this week, whose situation is highlighting endemic human rights abuses in the next country to host FIFA. While countries like the U

Today the Who’s Who of finance, investment, corporate law, intelligence and economics will descend upon Miami for the OffshoreAlert Conference, an event organizers describe as a gathering where “the good guys, the bad guys, the seriously guilty” congregate to network, share ideas and information, and learn to “operate more effectively in the world of high-value international finance.” Detained in Dubai founder and CEO Radha Stirling will be addressing the conference on Monday

The ongoing dispute between Gulf neighbours Qatar, the UAE and Saudi Arabia (with a variety of other countries allied to one side or the other), has become increasingly disruptive and dangerous; even victimising disinterested foreign visitors to the Gulf as the rivals ramp up pressure tactics against each other. Just last month a British national was attacked and subsequently jailed in the UAE for wearing a team jersey for the Qatar national football team while attending a ma

Bare, windowless rooms with a heavy iron-barred door; men packed side-by-side on the floor sometimes with not even enough room to turn over. Other rooms are so over-crowded that detainees sleep in a seated position. Such are the conditions in the Sharjah detention facility where people like British national Ali Issa Ahmed are held during investigations, and prior to sentencing, explains Detained in Dubai CEO Radha Stirling. Ali, a chocolate factory worker from Wolverhampton,

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

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

Jonathan Nash, 48, was CEO of Top House, a company based in Doha, which offers management services to the construction industry Due to an internal dispute in the firm, payments were blocked from the company Because Nash had written them himself, he was liable for them under Qatari law He was jailed for 37 years and has been languishing in the Central Prison, in the Qatari capital of Doha, for three years He told MailOnline he fears he will die in jail before he is allowed to

Ten years after forming Detained in Dubai to support foreign visitors and residents suffering human and civil rights abuses in the United Arab Emirates, CEO Radha Stirling has emerged as the leading international expert on the UAE legal system, and a successful campaigner for justice in dozens of high profile cases. Detained in Dubai has taken on and won a huge amount of cases involving British nationals unjustly accused, detained, or sought for extradition to the Gulf state.

If someone was given a 37 years prison sentence in Europe or the UK you’d expect them to be a violent criminal. This is not the case in Qatar as horrified British businessman Jonathan Nash has discovered.. He has been given essentially life imprisonment for nothing more than bounced cheques. Jonathan Nash, is CEO of Top House in Qatar, he has 27 years of experience in the electronic security systems industry. Top House offers technical, commercial and management services to t

A woman in Qatar has been arrested for sex outside of marriage, after having filed a rape complaint with police. It sounds unbelievable, but unfortunately this occurs with frequency; and over the years, we have dealt with several cases of victims of rape being arrested, interrogated, and in some cases, even convicted of having sex outside marriage. Some women served lengthy sentences, while the man only served a month or so. Charging rape victims is beyond alarming, it is e