UAE woman activist dies in car crash in London

Doha: The family of a UAE rebel woman activist who died in a car accident in London will be laid to rest in Qatar. The body of Ala al-Siddiqui, who sought asylum in Qatar with her husband in 2012 for fear of arrest from the UAE, will be buried in the cemetery in Mizimir after evening prayers today. Alaa al-Siddiqui was killed in a car crash last week on the eve of his 33rd birthday party.

Alaa, who speaks out against human rights abuses in the UAE, was reportedly transferred to Qatar after the UAE refused to bury his body in his homeland. Alaa, who had earlier sought asylum in Qatar, later moved to London in 2019. Alaa’s father, Mohammed al-Siddiqui, is reportedly a political prisoner in the UAE. Fearing arrest, Ala and her husband sought refuge in Qatar. Doha News reported that the UAE had asked Qatar in 2015 to release them, but Qatar refused. This caused tensions between the two countries.

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Ahmed al-Shayba al-Nuaimi, a UAE writer and journalist, announced on Twitter that Ala’s body would be buried in Qatar. Ala is also the director of Al Khast, a London-based human rights group that takes a strong stand against human rights abuses in the Gulf region. She holds a Masters Degree in Public Policy from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Qatar.