DOHA: The detention of the Qatari who has been in custody in the UAE since late last February was extended for a month yesterday.
Dr Mahmoud Al Jaidah (pictured) was produced before a judge in Abu Dhabi and a UAE lawyer defending him was not allowed in to represent him, claimed a Qatari lawyer who has been following up on the case.
Abdullah Taher said on his twitter account late last night: “We don’t ask the UAE authorities to release Jaidah. All we want is to grant him a fair trial”.
Taher, in earlier tweets, said there was a flicker of hope for Al Jaidah’s release as investigators hadn’t been able to establish any links between him and the banned UAE-based social organisation Dawat Al Islah. He said two UAE lawyers who were approached to defend Al Jaidah refused to take up the case.
Taher was bitterly critical in his earlier tweets of the Qatari media saying they had turned a blind eye to Al Jaidah’s detention (since February 26).
Qatari newspapers haven’t written a word about him and no correspondent has visited Abu Dhabi to follow up on the case, he said.
Taking a dig at local newspapers for ignoring local issues, he said if you want to read about the goings-on extensively in Egypt, Libya and Tunisia “please read Qatari dailies”.
The Peninsula
