The GCC Qatar Crisis and the Arrest of Tourist Ali Issa Ahmad

On 22 January 2019, 26-year-old British tourist Ali Issa Ahmad was reportedly arrested and beaten by United Arab Emirates (UAE) security officials for sporting a Qatar soccer shirt during the Asian Cup match between Iraq and Qatar in the UAE. Ahmad was unaware of UAE’s policy that anything that could be seen as showing sympathy[…]

Saudi’s Moves to Make an Island of Qatar

The political rift between Qatar and Saudi Arabia may soon become a geographical rift, with the appearance in April 2018 of reports in two Saudi-state linked newspapers of plans to build a canal between the two countries which would turn Qatar into an island. The proposed ‘Salwa Canal’ would be funded by businessmen from Saudi[…]

Qatar Accuses the UAE of Discriminatory Blockade at the International Court of Justice

On 27 June 2018, Qatar took the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the United Nations’ highest court – for its role in the blockade against Qatar which has extended for over a year. Qatar cited that the blockade was a form of discrimination against Qatari citizens, and the[…]

UPDATED: Bahrain brings new charges against Al-Wefaq’s Sheikh Ali Salman amid campaign against opposition

**Update: On 29 November 2017, Bahraini authorities postponed the trial of Sheikh Ali Salman, Secretary-General of the now-dissolved opposition group Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, to 28 December. Sheikh Salman, who remains imprisoned on charges stemming solely from a political speeches he delivered in 2014, was not present at the first session of his new trial[…]

Amid GCC Row, Governments across the Gulf Fail to Address Statelessness

With the diplomatic crisis embroiling the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, Saudi– and United Arab Emirates (UAE)-backed institutions have accused the Qatari government of arbitrarily revoking the citizenship of 55 members of the Al Morah (al-Murrah) tribe, including its leader, Sheikh Talib bin Mohammed bin Lahoum bin Shraim. Though it is as yet unclear if[…]