
Mark Bennett ‘suicide’ - FCDO must increase travel warnings says Radha Stirling.
Detained in Doha founder Radha Stirling issued a statement on Mark Bennett's tragic case: "The government of Qatar and locally owned companies act with complete impunity. From top earning employees and entrepreneurs to domestic workers and labourers, everyone is at risk. The slightest perceived infraction can land people in rat infested prisons where they may be subject to grave human rights violations. Even if released, they will remain on a travel ban indefinitely and be ke

Legal experts launch new App for emergency help at World Cup
With the World Cup approaching, Detained in Dubai expects an increase in the number of arrests throughout the Gulf region. Football fans will stay at hotels throughout Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and the wider Gulf as they cheer on their favourite team, but with this sporting event come the confusing and arbitrarily enforced laws that have seen thousands of visitors end up behind bars. With this in mind, Detained in Dubai has launched a new emergency mobile phone App in iTunes an

Australian hostage in Qatar - “Don’t come to World Cup”
Australian grandfather Joe Sarlak says he is the perfect example of why Qatar should not be hosting the World Cup. Joe Sarlak, 72, was in a squalid jail for more than two and a half years in the Middle Eastern country; And while he has now been cleared and released, ongoing legal proceedings - which his lawyers say are being filed purely to keep him in the country - mean he's banned from leaving. He is now a permanent hostage. Joe was used as a scapegoat by the Qatari royal w

TalkSport Radio with Radha Stirling - FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Radha Stirling discusses Qatar 22 with TalkSport Radio. As football fans ride from their expensive hotels to the stadium, or enjoy the festivities and tourist attractions around the World Cup, thousands of women will be suffering unimaginable misery all around them, hidden in plain sight in the shadow of Qatar’s luxury. Qatar is expected to see more visitors during the World Cup than would otherwise visit the country in 6 months, with overflow expected to pack hotels in neigh

Qatar Airways accused of human rights abuses
“When Cesar Ferreira appealed his dismissal from Qatar Airways, he never imagined it would end in Doha’s rat infested abysmal third world jail”, explains Radha Stirling, founder of Due Process International. Cesar made the journey to Qatar to work with the leading airline at Doha’s international airport. Although Cesar was popular with colleagues and management, he was unexpectedly dismissed. Seeing the decision as unfair, Cesar asked a few of his closest colleagues and manag

World Cup Stadium an island in a sea of misery and abuse
Chants and songs of football fans will ring out later this year during the World Cup in Qatar, but behind the closed doors of villas and apartments, the cries, screams, and sobbing of domestic workers will remain muffled. Abuse of maids and domestic servants in Qatar is so common that it would be a challenge to find a worker who has not been sexually assaulted, beaten, spat on, threatened, verbally abused, or forced to work well beyond their contractual obligations. Recent in

Qatar’s Alcohol Policy is Risky for World Cup Fans
British football fans are used to being allowed to drink beer in stadiums during games, so attendees of the World Cup in Qatar will have to adjust to Doha’s restrictive alcohol policies. “Alcohol will not be served inside the stadium,” explains Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai and Detained in Doha, “But beer will be available outside the venue 3 hours before matches begin, and for 1 hour after they end.” Stirling cautions that rules on alcohol are very confusing for m

James Cleverly - British prisoners & human rights victims hold hope for new Foreign Minister
British prisoners who have felt abandoned by their government have new hope that former Minister for State James Cleverly will take a more hands on approach to helping Britons facing human rights violations abroad. Having served as the Minister of State for the Middle East, Cleverly is in an excellent position to jump straight into dealing with the tasks at hand. “We hope that the need for stronger alliances with the Middle East will not overshadow the British tradition of pr

BOOZE YOU LOSE Footie fans could walk into a booze law trap during the World Cup in Qatar
BOOZE YOU LOSE Footie fans could walk into a booze law trap during the World Cup in Qatar, legal expert warns FOOTBALL fans could walk into a booze law trap during the World Cup in Qatar, a justice campaigner warns. They could end up in jail because drinking rules in the Arab state are deliberately vague, says Radha Stirling. And boisterous supporters will make easy pickings for police who target foreigners to rack up arrests and advance their careers, she claims. She added:

Asylum Applications - Withholding of removal - Expert testimony on human rights violations
Asylum applications are difficult at the best of times. But what happens when there is an Interpol Red Notice active or a trumped up criminal charge in another country? A country will be deterred from offering asylum and may even consider deportation. For people in this situation, deportation could literally mean life in prison, torture or death. US and Canadian authorities may see a life or death claim as far-fetched, after all, we are not talking about Syria or Afghanistan