The Kremlin is intensifying attacks on anti-war Russian musicians and artists living abroad. At the beginning of the all-out war in Ukraine, the Kremlin faced anti-war resistance from many Russian popular artists. It responded with a media smear campaign against anti-war rappers, rock bands, and stand-up comedians. But since many anti-war artists chose exile rather...
While December 2023 saw the global spotlight on Dubai for the COP28, Abu Dhabi discreetly conducted the second-largest political mass trial in the UAE’s history, known as the “UAE87” in a complete absence of media coverage. On December 7, 2023, the Abu Dhabi Federal Court of Appeal held its first hearing of a new mass trial involving...
Lucy Frazer said she is concerned about the potential influence of Abu Dhabi over The Telegraph. Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has said she is “minded to” open a second investigation into the proposed sale of Telegraph Media Group to Abu Dhabi-backed Redbird IMI. The move was prompted by Redbird IMI making changes to the corporate structure of the potential acquiring entities...
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) hosted the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in 2023 and used it to burnish its image despite pushing for fossil fuel expansion and maintaining a zero-tolerance policy toward dissent, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2024. The UAE, one of the world’s largest oil producers and per capita greenhouse...
Its government seems eager to exacerbate problems, only then to present itself as a reasonable arbiter. It is a fireman-arsonist. Who in their right mind would support Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the camel-trading Sudanese general who rose through the ranks during the genocide in Darfur? What kind of government would provide arms to his Rapid Support...
Move is aimed to ensure the Government’s review of the proposed deal is not impeded upon. The Culture Secretary has blocked an Abu Dhabi-backed fund from taking control of The Telegraph while she carries out a review of a proposed takeover deal. Lucy Frazer today issued a “hold separate” order that prohibits ownership of the...
This paper has a proud history of promoting women’s voices, including mine. It has to continue in that vein. Our government has passed the ;rst test. In issuing a Public Interest Intervention Notice (PIIN) in response to the United Arab Emirates funded bid to buy the Telegraph titles and The Spectator magazine, culture secretary Lucy...
The Gulf state’s human-rights record suggests it is no champion of open dialogue, say the two lawyers. In the landscape of international diplomacy, the choice of a host country for a global summit is often symbolic. As the world prepares to converge in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the COP28 climate conference, the decision to host...
Ahead of the COP28 climate conference, which begins in Dubai on 30 November, Rebecca White, Campaigner at Amnesty International’s Disrupting Surveillance Team, said: “It is no secret that targeted digital surveillance has long been weaponized in the United Arab Emirates to crush dissent and stifle freedom of expression. Prior to his arrest in 2017, human rights defender Ahmed...
Tanzania’s government signed a controversial port management deal with Dubai-based DP World that had fueled protests in the African country in the past months and led to arrests of dozens of critics. The deal was signed on Sunday in the presence of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who has recently been accused of cracking down...