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BBC's Good Morning Scotland discusses Brian Glendinning, a British engineer’s fight against Qatar extradition ‘a warning to World Cup fans’ Brian Glendinning’s case highlights peril for football fans travellinQatary are going through with this shocking arrest. "Scot held in Iraq over unknown Qatari conviction" bbc.co.uk - 10/10/2022 A Scottish construction engineer has been held in police cells in Iraq for a month after being added to an Interpol list over a debt conviction in Qatar. Brian Glendinning, 43, from Kincardine in Fife, did not know he was a wanted fugitive until he was detained in Basra on his way to a new job. His family has called on the UK government to intervene. They also warned football fans going to the World Cup next month to be aware of the risks in traveling to Qatar. In 2017 Mr Glendinning, who is married with three children and one granddaughter, was sentenced in his absence to two years in prison for defaulting on a debt. He had agreed to take out £20,000 loan with his bank in Qatar while working in Doha in 2016, but was not able to keep up full repayments when he lost his job. His family told how he was made redundant in 2017, while on sick leave at home in Scotland, but had kept in touch with the bank not realising he had been convicted of a crime. Speaking to BBC Radio's Good Morning Scotland programme, his brother John Glendinning said: "I believe Brian did what most parents would do then - what money you've got coming in when you're unemployed you try to keep the house warm and feed the kids. "But then in Qatar, I believe that's a crime to them. It's not just defaulting on a bad credit history as we do here in the UK." He said it was devastating to hear his "big brother and best friend" had been detained in Iraq. "He was petrified," his brother said. "He explained that they told him it was Interpol and he was on the red list for a warrant for his arrest from Qatar." He said bank salesmen would target expats in Qatari hotels offering loans with low interest rates. "It looks like they want you to default," he said. "Interest rates are extremely low but when you default they go through this process of doing this to families. "They know that we are desperate. They know I would sell my house. I've already sold my car. "My brother is getting treated like a crime lord. The loan should be paid, of course it should, but this is crazy." 'Is he coming home?' In four weeks the legal bills have already reached £30,000. Mr Glendinning has been moved to a police cell in Baghdad, where he has been allowed to see British Embassy staff twice. He spoke to his wife and mother at the weekend. "Nobody is sleeping, we're constantly thinking about Brian's mindset, constantly thinking is he coming home?" his brother said. He added: "I think it's crazy that we're going to have British citizens in their barrel load heading over to Qatar in the next few weeks for the World Cup and I just want to give a message to them - think about where you're going." In the past few days Radha Stirling, the founder of Detained in Dubai and IPEX, has taken on the case. She has supported hundreds of people unfairly detained in or at risk of being extradited to the UAE and the Middle East. These include Conor Howard, an engineer from Tranent, East Lothian. He was held in Greece in 2020, under an Interpol warrant, over a conviction for carrying a herb-grinder on a plane trip that stopped in Doha. Ms Stirling said Mr Glendinning's case was a "nightmare" for the family but she was confident they would be able to bring him home. She told BBC Scotland he had been "aggressively pursued" to take out a loan by his bank in Qatar, as is" standard practice" there. 'We will make every effort to save Brian' "The problem with Qatar banks is when they want to pursue someone on Interpol to put pressure on the family to pay the debt, they add legal fees and charges to get the amount over the Interpol threshold, which is €15,000, then wait for that person to be detained and put pressure on their parents or their families to sell assets or use their life's savings to bail out their child," Ms Stirling said. "We will make every diplomatic and legal effort to save Brian from extradition. It's a human rights issue and clearly highlights Qatar's intimate relationship with Interpol." She added: "With the World Cup coming up, Qatar should be mindful of rights attacks towards foreigners." Mr Glendinning's family has called on Prime Minister Liz Truss and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly to help. "We need them to talk to Qatar, to talk to Iraq," his brother said. "We need support for a British citizen who's not a criminal and who's been held like he's a criminal." Crowdfunding The Foreign Office said: "We are providing support to a British man who has been arrested in Iraq and are in touch with the local authorities." A crowdfunding appeal set up by the family to help cover legal costs has already raised more than £11,000 of a £40,000 target. It says: "Brian needs urgent help or risks extradition to Qatar where human rights violations are notorious and where it is likely he would never be allowed to leave. "Even if he goes to prison in Qatar and serves his sentence, they will never let him leave until his debt is paid, but he won't be allowed to work or have a work permit." Scot held in Iraq over unknown Qatari conviction, originally published at bbc.co.uk Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

Abuse of the Interpol system by countries around the world has been steadily increasing in recent years, with Gulf States leading the trend. Of particular concern are those countries which have positioned themselves as investment destinations for foreign business people, such as China and the BRICS nations. “The overwhelming majority of abusive Red Notices issued by Interpol relate to financial disputes,” explains DueRadha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, “Foreign investors can easily find themselves subjected to wrongful criminal charges in countries like the UAE when business deals fall through, or when they are defrauded by local partners. Even minor issues like bounced cheques will immediately be referred to Interpol after a conviction has been obtained, usually in absentia, and perfectly innocent people end up being listed alongside dangerous international fugitives.” INTERPOL RED NOTICE REMOVAL | Detained in Dubai Interpol Red Notice Removal, Extradition Defence, Expert Witness and Litigation support from expert and veteran, Radha Stirling Stirling, who also founded Interpol and Extradition Reform (IPEX), has been the leading voice against abuse of the Red Notice system, and has successfully secured the removal of countless clients from the Interpol database. “We have a 100% success rate in getting wrongful listings deleted,” She explains, “The removal process is inordinately long and bureaucratic, while listing someone on the database happens with a keystroke. Interpol does no vetting of Red Notice requests, even from known Interpol abusers like the Gulf countries, China, and Turkey. They will agree to issue a Notice even when the nature of the request does not conform to Interpol’s own rules on data collection.” Home | IPEX Reform Interpol & Extradition Reform, Expert Witness, Interpol Removal, Crisis Management, Legislative & Government Advisory The increasing cases of abuse prompted Stirling to launch a new service to help pre-empt wrongful Interpol listings, “We have built a relationship with Interpol over the course of more than a decade,” Stirling says, “Through our work, Interpol has become more sensitive about abusive Notices, and we have established an understanding whereby we can alert them that wrongful requests may be submitted to Interpol regarding particular clients, so that such requests may be first scrutinised for their compliance with Interpol’s rules before a listing is issued. With this service, we hope to be able to help clients avoid ever being wrongfully subjected to an abusive Red Notice.” Stirling’s Interpol Prevention support marks a significant step in combatting Interpol abuse, and can potentially save innocent people from having their lives turned upside-down for months on end, trying to remove their names from the Interpol database when they should never have been listed in the first place. Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

Crispin Blunt today condemned the lack of British intervention over a constituent, Mr Christopher Emms, detained in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a result of a US abuse of the Interpol Red Notice System. Emms was originally detained in the Kingdom as a result of a US extradition request issued in February, and has been unable to leave the Kingdom since - despite no allegation that he had broken international, British, or Saudi Arabian law. US seeks extradition of British national over cryptocurrency conference: The case of Christopher Emms. In the last few days, Emms’ lawyer had been advised by Saudi authorities that his travel ban had been lifted. However, when they attended to retrieve his passport, Mr Emms was unexpectedly detained overnight. Emms was later presented to a Saudi Arabian court who denied the US extradition request and released Mr Emms without requiring bail. The Saudi Arabian court also lifted the travel ban. The Ministry of the Interior have informed Emms’ lawyer that he will be arrested and detained overnight any time they come across him and he will be again put in front of a judge even if they will rule as before. Crispin Blunt wonders whether American diplomats continue to play an improper hand and pressure some Saudi officials to ignore their own legal rulings, even though this goes against Saudi law and infringes on the ordinary legal and fundamental human rights of his constituent. But it’s difficult to assess this when our government won’t engage at all. MP accuses Foreign Office of 'washing hands' of Brit detained in Saudi. Mr Blunt commented: “Emms should now be immediately able to come home. The relevant departments of the Saudi Government need to know that the United Kingdom has an interest in this case, will not stand quietly by while its citizens are the victim of the application of wholly improper extraterritoriality by the USA, when there is a perfectly good extradition treaty between our nations and Mr Emms should face any justice process via that route, not via an abuse of the Interpol system. It is a matter of fundamental principle. Our country, our government, owes our citizens protection in circumstances like this; otherwise what is the value of UK citizenship if we won't help them when they are on the wrong end of other state's behaving illegally.” INTERPOL Abuse Exposed - Press Pack Interpol and extradition expert Radha Stirling has condemned America’s abuse of the Red Notice system, saying “We are accustomed to seeing this kind of abuse coming from states like China, Russia and Venezuela but it is disturbing to see it with such regularity from our ally, the United States of America. We have escalated this case to the United Nations and to Interpol themselves to ensure the US is held to account. The Foreign Office has been repeatedly criticised for their lack of intervention in human rights abuses against British citizens leading foreign nations to feel they have been given the green light to commit such egregious harm against our nationals. This has to stop”. FCDO Responsibilities: Are Conflicting Goals Diminishing Efficacy? Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

Interpol and Extradition expert, Radha Stirling announced the deletion of an Interpol Red Notice against her Australian client, issued by The Republic of Korea (ROK). “The Republic of Korea issued a Notice against our client under the category of fraud”, Stirling announced. Ms Stirling founded IPEX (Interpol and Extradition) Reform, a comprehensive initiative to address the widespread and multilayered problems with the current framework of the extradition process, including the many flaws in Interpol itself as an organisation. “This case was no different to the numerous Gulf issued Interpol Red Notices we have been fighting against for over a decade”. Stirling prepared detailed submissions to the Lyon based organisation to determine whether ROK’s Red Notice was abusive. See and download our press pack below: “Interpol Notices are extremely complicated to permanently erase. There is no courtroom and limited participation which is why we have to ensure our submissions are thorough from the onset. Interpol takes submissions from both the applicant and the country who issued the Notice then reviews the arguments in a closed door setting with no involvement or oversight from the applicant. It’s a lengthy process and the applicant in this situation will often be subject to travel restrictions and other hindrances such as legal costs. Sometimes they will be under a travel ban, house arrest or even in prison during this process. After a stressful and lengthy wait, when the commission finds in their favour, the Notice will be deleted and they will be free to resume their lives, but there is no apology, no compensation and no accountability for the issuing country or the data processor, Interpol. The lack of accountability leaves individuals at severe risk of state harassment and Interpol abuse which can have an enormously damaging impact on their lives, finances and reputations. It leaves them unacceptably at risk of human rights violations. “Fortunately, we were successful in deleting this Notice and showing that Korea was unjustified in issuing the Red Notice. Korea will not be required to compensate the victim nor pay any sort of fine to Interpol. This is not the first Korean Red Notice we have removed and it will not be the last. “We are pleased our client is finally exonerated and after his recovery from this exhausting trauma, we will assist him to repair the reputation that was wrongfully damaged in the click of a button. “Interpol needs to do more to prevent these Notices in the first place, not just remove them after the damage has been done”. Home | IPEX Reform Interpol & Extradition Reform, Expert Witness, Interpol Removal, Crisis Management, Legislative & Government Advisory UAE Interpol Red Notice against Danish citizen is deleted Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre Saudi Prince uses Interpol to prevent damaging witness testimony Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre Extradition of British crypto expert to USA would challenge UK sovereignty. Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

60 Minutes investigates how British citizen Christopher Emms has become one of the FBI's "Most Wanted" after attending a crypto conference in North Korea. “When we think of human rights violations, we think of Saudi, not the USA”, said Radha Stirling, founder of Due Process International and IPEX who is representing Mr Emms. The Interpol and Extradition expert has taken Emms’ case to the United National for a ruling on his arbitrary detention. “It is unacceptable that the FBI has issued an Interpol Red Notice against a British citizen for allegedly violating domestic US laws that simply don’t apply to him. This is an abuse of power tantamount to State Harassment. “Biden’s new cryptocurrency task force hopes that under enough pressure, Chris will voluntarily surrender to the US and enter a guilty plea under the threat of potentially twenty years in prison. The Statute Chris is alleged to have violated specifies that it only applies to US persons and no foreigner has ever been successfully prosecuted leading authorities to resort to intimidation tactics to pressure victims into plea bargains. The US deliberately activated the Interpol alert while Chris was in Saudi to exude maximum pressure on him, then they froze his bank accounts making it impossible for him to pay for comprehensive legal defence. Colonising the Cryptosphere - by Radha Stirling Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre “When corporations and private individuals use these tactics, we call it extortion and that’s exactly what it is.“ Just like Saudi Arabia has no right to export their own sanction policies on US citizens, the US has no right to intimidate British nationals into submitting to US law. Chris did not violate any British or international laws in attending the conference. The FBI should refocus their energy, drop the indictment and go after real criminals who are subject to American law”. 60 Minutes | Unassuming and easygoing, it's hard to believe how Chris Emms has managed to wedge himself into so much trouble. He's stuck in a no man's land, caught in the middle of a dangerous and frightening powerplay between enemies North Korea and the United States. It started innocently enough when he was invited to the rogue nation for a cryptocurrency conference. A bit of a geek, Chris thought it'd be fun, but the U.S. got wind of his visit and decided there was evil in the adventure. He's now wanted by the FBI, accused of involvement in circumventing international sanctions, and facing lengthy jail time. United Nations to hear US FBI abuse of crypto expert Chris Emms Due Process Newsroom & Media Centre Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

Christopher Emms travelled to North Korea alongside Virgil Griffith for a blockchain conference in 2019, drawing ire of the US Original article by By David Canellis at Blockworks - July 29, 2022 Emms has been in legal limbo in Saudi Arabia for the past five months, awaiting potential extradition to the US UK parliament member Crispin Blunt is now petitioning the Foreign Office to intervene Cryptocurrency insider Christopher Emms, who presented at North Korea’s infamous blockchain “conference,” is fighting what he calls his wrongful detention in Saudi Arabia over the past six months at the hands of the US government. In February, Emms was arrested in Riyadh’s airport following an Interpol Red Notice issued by the US. Emms, a 30-year-old British citizen who’d been living in and working for Roger Ver’s Bitcoin.com out of Dubai, had been invited to the capital by the Saudi government to attend its One Giant Leap technology conference. He was apprehended on his way back to the United Arab Emirates. The Feds allege Emms breached sanctions on North Korea when he travelled to the country in 2019 alongside US citizen Virgil Griffith — the Ethereum programmer recently sentenced to five years’ prison for presenting at the same conference. US authorities had 45 days from Emms’ arrest to provide evidence of his alleged crimes — only applicable to US citizens, which Emms is not — to support his extradition. Nothing has been lodged some 150 days later, leaving Emms stranded after posting bail following a one-day stint in a Saudi jail. In a video interview with Blockworks, Emms said he’s now forced to hop between hotels at his own expense, as he’s ineligible for residency. The US froze his bank accounts and crypto exchange accounts. “I’m literally borrowing funds from friends and family just to pay the bills; it’s difficult,” Emms said. “The British Embassy has made it clear that they don’t particularly want to help in any meaningful way.” Christopher Emms denies being Pyongyang’s blockchain mastermind According to the FBI, which features Emms on its Most Wanted list, Emms planned and organized Pyongyang’s one-day blockchain conference, and allegedly recruited an American crypto expert to join him, arranging his travel to North Korea in violation of US sanctions. While the crypto expert Emms allegedly recruited wasn’t named, it seems the FBI is referring to Griffith. Feds say Emms answered specific questions about blockchain technology and even proposed plans for smart contracts to serve Pyongyang’s interests, mapping out crypto transactions designed to evade US sanctions. US authorities, alongside the United Nations, have suggested that Pyongyang funds its nuclear missile programs by Bitcoin-fuelled ransomware attacks and cryptocurrency exchange thefts, the fruits of which have amounted to more than $1.3 billion. Christopher Emms from his hotel in Saudi Arabia | Source: Blockworks Emms said he had accepted an invitation to speak at North Korea’s blockchain conference extended via LinkedIn by Alejandro Cao de Benós, the Spanish political activist and self-styled Special Delegate of North Korea’s Committee for Cultural Relations with Foreign Countries. Cao de Benós is named in an indictment alongside Emms. Emms said he’d never met or spoken to Griffith until the trip, which occurred as the crypto market had floundered for almost a year following bitcoin’s first surge to $20,000. He was there for about eight days, and the conference occurred after a tour across the country. They visited a new airport, schools, museums, a video games arcade — all empty — as well as the peninsula’s Demilitarized Zone. Eventually, Emms and the rest of the conference invitees — about eight — were taken to a conference room with some 20 people, who mostly seemed uninterested, with practically no preparation amongst the delegates. Emms and the others had their passports confiscated and were warned the event had “better go well.” “We were given a load of shit, a paper that had been copied and pasted off Google that was given to us by Cao de Benós with different titles,” Emms told Blockworks. “So, we’re all sort of in the room, and we’re like, ‘OK, who’s going to speak on what?’ We hand these pieces of paper to each other and think, ‘How are we going to deal with this?’” One of the topics provided by Cao de Benós, Emms said, was “blockchain and peace.” Another was “blockchain and tech,” leaving the delegates to ad-lib much of their presentations. UK parliament member says US abused Interpol’s Red Notice system It’s unclear why the US hasn’t complied with Saudi authorities to move Emms’ case along. Radha Stirling, an extradition expert working in support of Emms, told Blockworks she’s hoping the Saudi government will close the case, allowing him to return to the UK. “I think the US is testing where it can export its domestic policy abroad, whether they’ll be successful in requesting the extradition of a foreign national from a foreign jurisdiction,” Stirling said. “Obviously, they knew [Emms] was in Saudi [Arabia] and thought, this is a jurisdiction that’s going to give him maximum pain,” she added. “They were hoping that he would succumb to the pressure and surrender himself voluntarily, maybe enter a plea bargain and name names of other people who they’re also targeting.” The US could file for his extradition from the UK if he returns, something Emms expects to happen if he were to make it back to home soil. But, he said, the British government — including intelligence services — interviewed him extensively and told him they don’t think he’s done anything wrong. This gave Emms confidence to travel to Saudi Arabia for the One Giant Leap conference, after which he was arrested. Crispin Blunt, a long-serving member of UK parliament who has urged the nation’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office and the Saudi ambassador to take action, echoed Stirling’s sentiment. “Emms is a victim of an exercise in American extraterritoriality,” Blunt told Blockworks. “First of all, Chris hasn’t broken, as far as I’m aware, any British international or Saudi laws. The Americans are using the Red Notice system under Interpol improperly — jurisdiction shopping in order to make life as bloody as possible for people they identify as their opponents.” “All of us would have some anxiety about someone idiotic enough to attend a conference in Pyongyang,” Blunt added. “However, on examination, it appears that Emms has been an idiot, not a crook. Being an idiot is not a crime.” Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

Is Liz Truss fit to be Prime Minister? GULF IN JUSTICE PODCAST asks Brits detained abroad Gulf prisoners & human rights victims say “Liz Truss UNFIT for PM” “If she can’t even discharge her duties as Foreign Minister”, says a British grandfather locked up in Dubai, “how on earth is she fit to run the country? She doesn't deserve a promotion, she deserves to be fired!” At least thirteen Dubai prisoners were asked to sign an agreement that they would be happy to be transferred back to the UK. “The men who signed an agreement for a prisoner exchange were elated to be coming home, especially grandfather Albert Douglas who has been officially confirmed to have been beaten and tortured by prison guards”, explains Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Dubai who regularly works with MP’s and the British government to help Brits detained abroad. “It was expected the prisoner transfer would come as part of the trade meetings held with Liz Truss and the Gulf nations. MP’s, Liz Truss and the Foreign Office were fully aware of these progressions but when it came to the time of the meeting, trade deals were wholly prioritised over British citizens.” “Liz Truss UNFIT for PM” - Brits in Gulf prisons say - Detained in Dubai Albert Douglas has been rotting in prison for over 18 months for bounced cheques he didn’t even write. He was humiliated, beaten, tortured and his bones were broken. Albert is now calling on human rights supporters and MPs to reject Truss’ bid for office. “Liz Truss has been fully aware of my predicament and of the torture I was subjected to”, Albert tells Detained in Dubai from within the prison walls. “Despite serious brutality, she did nothing to get me home and has even ruined the prisoner relocation that the UAE authorities had set up. Truss has abandoned us, can’t even remember our names and is wholly unsuitable as a foreign secretary, let alone the leader of our country. Former Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt had previously negotiated the release of Matthew Hedges who had been held on allegations of espionage. Stirling commented, “Hunt made statements to the media in the case of Laleh Shahravesh who was arrested over a Facebook post, then advocated for Hedges and criticised the FCDO for their lack of intervention in Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe’s detention in Iran. We have seen no such vigour from Truss who does not appear to understand that the rights of British citizens and human rights generally do not need to be sacrificed to secure trade deals.” British citizen Chris Emms has been detained in Saudi for six months after the USA issued an Interpol Red Notice against him for allegedly violating US sanctions. With US and British ties becoming closer post-brexit, It appears the US is testing the UK to see what they can get away with. This is clearly a violation of British sovereignty, international law, Interpol protocols and UN principles. An application has been submitted to the United Nations for the arbitrary detention of 30 year old Christopher Emms. Neither Liz Truss nor the Foreign Office have made any diplomatic efforts with Saudi Arabia or the USA. Felicity Buchan, MP has also been lobbying Truss on behalf of young footballer, Billy Hood, who was detained over CBD oil left in his car by a friend who he was dropping off at the airport. Billy has been in abysmal conditions, denied medication and medical attention when suffering from an ear infection. He has been beaten by prison guards in Abu Dhabi and threatened to the point where he is now afraid to publicly lobby for help. The FCDO and Liz Truss have done nothing to intervene or diplomatically resolve his case, despite it being covered extensively in the media and on #BBC Breakfast, Good Morning Britain etc. Felicity Buchan asked a Question to Liz Truss in Parliament last year in December regarding both Billy and Albert. Truss gave a wishy washy response and did not act on the request. The USA, Malaysia, Canada, Australia and a number of other countries have all intervened and retrieved their citizens in these circumstances. It is shocking that he is still in prison. The US would not allow this for their citizens. Where a State has committed human rights violations against British citizens, one would expect it to be of paramount importance to the Foreign Minister and that any such victims would be returned home immediately. Instead, Liz Truss can not even remember the names or cases of anyone she has helped or any time she has challenged a gulf state on human rights abuses. This is despite these cases being put in front of her on a regular basis by Members of Parliament In contrast, Jeremy Hunt as Foreign Minister advocated publicly for individual British detainees. #extradition #fcdo #foreignoffice #fco #jeremyhunt #interpol #liztruss #radhastirling #detainedindubai #uae #saudi #crypto #bitcoin #fbimostwanted #dubai #abudhabi #humanrights #torture #unitednations #GulfinJustice #podcast #FreeChrisEmms #FreeAssange #StateHarassment Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org

Crispin Blunt expresses concern over lack of FCDO government intervention in overseas rights abuses against Brits. 30 year old Chris Emms has been detained in Saudi Arabia for six months, fighting an extradition request from the US for allegedly violating US sanctions against North Korea in attending a cryptocurrency conference. The disturbing element of this case is that Chris is not a US citizen, is not subject to US law and has not violated Saudi, British or international law in any way. US law and has not violated Saudi, British or international law in any way. Foreign Office accused of 'washing its hands' of Brit detained in Saudi Arabia | UK News | Sky News “We are grateful to Mr Crispin Blunt, MP” said Radha Stirling who is representing Emms. “Mr Blunt swung into action immediately upon learning about Mr Emms' plight and has demonstrated true care and diligence for his constituent. We can only hope the FCDO and Liz Truss take his wrongful detention as seriously as Mr Blunt”. “Liz Truss UNFIT for PM” - Brits in Gulf prisons say Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate, former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and formerly a Special Adviser in the Foreign Office, has now expressed publicly his concerns over lack of action by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to secure the return to the UK of his constituent Christopher Emms. Crispin Blunt said in a statement released today: “Chris Emms was detained as he tried to leave Saudi Arabia on 4th February 2022. This was in response to a Red posting on the Interpol system by the USA. He has committed no crimes against British, Saudi or international law. He is accused of conspiracy with a US citizen to break US sanctions on North Korea, having met him once at a conference in Pyonyang in 2019. This is a straightforward exercise of improper “extraterritoriality” by the USA and the UK has every reason to resist this in defence of its own citizens in Saudi Arabia. There is no extradition treaty between the USA and Saudi Arabia and in these circumstances the USA should have produced evidence for his extradition within 45 days. His UK representatives raised their concerns publicly and with me and I raised my concerns directly with the Saudi Ambassador in London and invited the support of the Minister for the Middle East on 12th May 2022. Whilst the FCDO notified the Ambassador merely of their interest in the case on 15th May, they did not reply to my request for substantive action until 16th June. That letter included news of no substantive action at all. Having informally raised his issue with the Minister for the Middle East in the Commons several times I did receive a first-hand briefing from officials in both the consular and political teams yesterday. That confirmed that there is an apparent current regional policy of doing nothing to support the position of UK citizens, even if the legal position they are in is entirely without merit. There has been no protest to the USA for their abuse of the Interpol Red notice system, and no request to the Saudi Authorities to return this innocent Briton to the UK so he may face any US requests for justice here. I am unable to establish if the reason is lack of FCDO capacity or lack of ministerial will. There has so far been no satisfactory explanation. I warned in May if no action was forthcoming, I might regrettably have to make my concerns public, and after consultation with Chris Emms and his UK representatives have now decided to do so. Given my experience, both regionally, in and overseeing the FCDO, this lack of active representation of the interests of our citizens is very disappointing and contrasts with recent regional examples, including the case of Matthew Hedges for example. My interests are those of my constituent. However unwise he was to go to a conference in Pyongyang in 2018, he checked it was legal to do so and reported on what happened to UK officials. I hope that publicly expressing my “informed” disappointment I can prod our FCDO team, including its ministers, into action to deliver on what it actually says in the front of our passports: “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State Requests And Requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary." Please get Christopher Emms home.” Related articles and Resources: Extradition of British crypto expert to USA would challenge UK sovereignty United Nations to hear US FBI abuse of crypto expert Chris Emms Colonising the Cryptosphere - by Radha Stirling Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KH20nw... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/detainedindu... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai Email: info@detainedindubai.org

Crispin Blunt expresses concern over lack of FCDO government intervention in overseas rights abuses against Brits. 30 year old Chris Emms has been detained in Saudi Arabia for six months, fighting an extradition request from the US for allegedly violating US sanctions against North Korea in attending a cryptocurrency conference. The disturbing element of this case is that Chris is not a US citizen, is not subject to US law and has not violated Saudi, British or international law in any way. US law and has not violated Saudi, British or international law in any way. Foreign Office accused of 'washing its hands' of Brit detained in Saudi Arabia | UK News | Sky News “We are grateful to Mr Crispin Blunt, MP” said Radha Stirling who is representing Emms. “Mr Blunt swung into action immediately upon learning about Mr Emms' plight and has demonstrated true care and diligence for his constituent. We can only hope the FCDO and Liz Truss take his wrongful detention as seriously as Mr Blunt”. “Liz Truss UNFIT for PM” - Brits in Gulf prisons say Crispin Blunt, MP for Reigate, former Chair of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee and formerly a Special Adviser in the Foreign Office, has now expressed publicly his concerns over lack of action by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to secure the return to the UK of his constituent Christopher Emms. Crispin Blunt said in a statement released today: “Chris Emms was detained as he tried to leave Saudi Arabia on 4th February 2022. This was in response to a Red posting on the Interpol system by the USA. He has committed no crimes against British, Saudi or international law. He is accused of conspiracy with a US citizen to break US sanctions on North Korea, having met him once at a conference in Pyonyang in 2019. This is a straightforward exercise of improper “extraterritoriality” by the USA and the UK has every reason to resist this in defence of its own citizens in Saudi Arabia. There is no extradition treaty between the USA and Saudi Arabia and in these circumstances the USA should have produced evidence for his extradition within 45 days. His UK representatives raised their concerns publicly and with me and I raised my concerns directly with the Saudi Ambassador in London and invited the support of the Minister for the Middle East on 12th May 2022. Whilst the FCDO notified the Ambassador merely of their interest in the case on 15th May, they did not reply to my request for substantive action until 16th June. That letter included news of no substantive action at all. Having informally raised his issue with the Minister for the Middle East in the Commons several times I did receive a first-hand briefing from officials in both the consular and political teams yesterday. That confirmed that there is an apparent current regional policy of doing nothing to support the position of UK citizens, even if the legal position they are in is entirely without merit. There has been no protest to the USA for their abuse of the Interpol Red notice system, and no request to the Saudi Authorities to return this innocent Briton to the UK so he may face any US requests for justice here. I am unable to establish if the reason is lack of FCDO capacity or lack of ministerial will. There has so far been no satisfactory explanation. I warned in May if no action was forthcoming, I might regrettably have to make my concerns public, and after consultation with Chris Emms and his UK representatives have now decided to do so. Given my experience, both regionally, in and overseeing the FCDO, this lack of active representation of the interests of our citizens is very disappointing and contrasts with recent regional examples, including the case of Matthew Hedges for example. My interests are those of my constituent. However unwise he was to go to a conference in Pyongyang in 2018, he checked it was legal to do so and reported on what happened to UK officials. I hope that publicly expressing my “informed” disappointment I can prod our FCDO team, including its ministers, into action to deliver on what it actually says in the front of our passports: “Her Britannic Majesty’s Secretary of State Requests And Requires in the Name of Her Majesty all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary." Please get Christopher Emms home.” Related articles and Resources: Extradition of British crypto expert to USA would challenge UK sovereignty United Nations to hear US FBI abuse of crypto expert Chris Emms Colonising the Cryptosphere - by Radha Stirling Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KH20nw... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/detainedindu... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai Email: info@detainedindubai.org

Crispin Blunt MP has accused the Foreign Office of failing to help his constituent Christopher Emms who was arrested in Riyadh in February on an Interpol Red Notice. Crispin Blunt MP told Sky News that the Foreign Office appeared to have a "regional policy of doing nothing to support the position of UK citizens" including his constituent Christopher Emms. Emms was arrested in Riyadh airport after the US issued an Interpol Red Notice for him for breaching its sanctions on North Korea - although not international ones - something which Mr Blunt described as an abuse of the Interpol system. Since then, Emms has spent five months on bail in Jeddah, waiting for the US to provide documentation to the Saudi authorities, so they can decide whether to extradite him. Mr Blunt, who was formerly the chair of parliament's foreign affairs committee and a special adviser to Malcolm Rifkind as foreign secretary, said: "There is an expectation under international law that the requesting state will have produced some evidence to their claim within 45 days. "Well, it is about 140 days ago that deadline passed. "Previous foreign secretaries have been more diligent and more up to the mark in defending the interests of British citizens," he said of the Conservative leadership candidate Liz Truss. "I'm hoping that this public request from me to her, as well as obviously the context of the leadership election, will have her right up to the mark on her job," he told Sky News. "It cannot be said that I haven't spent every effort with her junior ministers to try and get them to act in this area, and so far it's not worked," added Mr Blunt. "I'm now asking publicly, which is really all I'm left with now, to ask our Foreign Office and the overseeing ministers to act to get my constituent home, which is where he should be." Why is he wanted? Christopher Emms is accused of conspiring with an American citizen to deliver a cryptocurrency conference in Pyongyang, allegedly helping the country evade a banking embargo imposed over its nuclear weapons programme. Virgil Griffith, the American, pleaded guilty to his charge last year and has been sentenced to more than five years in prison. Emms' co-defendant, Alejandro Cao de Benos - a public supporter of the North Korean regime - remains at large. Emms maintains that he is innocent and has no real relationship with Cao de Benos. He told Sky News that he supports the international sanctions targeting North Korea and that he had briefed the British security services about his trip without causing them any alarm. Pyongyang trip 'may have been idiotic' Emms told Sky News, there had been a time when he thought his visit to Pyongyang in April 2019 was just a quirky tourist trip, something he would be able to tell a story about. Mr Blunt said Emms "may have been idiotic in going to Pyongyang at all, but he most certainly was not a criminal". "He has been pursued in an utterly unfair way, and our Foreign Office are not really stepping up to the plate to defend him. "On the basis of what I've seen, the Foreign Office policy at the moment - of not intervening in these cases - is not the right policy. "They are not protecting and asserting the interests of the very people that they are there to protect, which are citizens of the United Kingdom," Mr Blunt added. Emms has been in Saudi Arabia since February A spokesperson for the Foreign Office did not comment on the details of Mr Blunt's complaint, but told Sky News: "We are providing consular support to a British man in Saudi Arabia." Mr Blunt acknowledged he was supporting Rishi Sunak in the leadership contest, but said: "At the front of my consideration today is my constituent Christopher Emms. "He doesn't deserve to get embroiled in the Conservative leadership election in any way at all, what he needs is his state to do its duty to assert his rights to the Saudis, and to tell the Americans to back off. "If they want him to come to the United States to face American justice for breaking American law, then they need to explain to British courts why that is the case." The US and Saudi Arabian embassies in London, as well as Liz Truss' parliamentary office and Rishi Sunak's campaign team, did not respond to Sky News' requests for a response. Video and original article by Alexander Martin available at Sky News Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KH20nw... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/detainedindu... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai Email: info@detainedindubai.org

Christopher Emms says he’s only willing to face charges in UK for his role in 2019 crypto conference in Pyongyang A British national accused of conspiring to violate U.S. sanctions on North Korea is now stuck in Saudi Arabia, which he says has prevented him from leaving after the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) added him to its most wanted list earlier this year. Christopher Emms, a 30-year-old blockchain and cryptocurrency specialist, was indicted by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in April 2022 in connection to sanctions breaches stemming from his participation in a 2019 crypto conference in Pyongyang. But he told NK News that he doesn’t believe the U.S. has any grounds to pursue him for his activities in North Korea, calling the charges against him “bonkers.” “If a British extradition judge states that I have committed a crime — of which I am applicable to be tried on — I’ll go,” he said in a video call last week. “But I’m not going to go to the U.S. to face the music for … a law that I don’t feel applies to me.” The 2019 crypto conference is the same one attended by Virgil Griffith, a U.S. national now serving a 63-month prison sentence for helping North Korea evade sanctions through his participation in the event. The DOJ has accused Emms of working with Griffith and Alejandro Cao de Benos, head of the pro-DPRK Korea Friendship Association, to “teach and advise members of the North Korean government on cutting-edge cryptocurrency and blockchain technology” during the conference. Emms admits he played a “minor role” in the crypto conference, sharing information “readily accessible from Google.” But he described his time in North Korea as just “a quirky tourist trip” to a country that — amid the summitry of 2018 and 2019 — “was about to open up in a radical way and engage with the West.” “I didn’t realize in any way, shape or form that U.S. law could ever apply to me,” Emms told NK News, adding he had “minimal contact” with Griffith and none with any North Koreans prior to or after his visit to Pyongyang. “I’m not American; I’m British. I’ve never been a resident of the United States. I wasn’t in the United States … so why does [this law] apply at all?” Neither the DOJ nor the FBI responded to NK News inquiries about Emm’s case. LEGAL LIMBO Experts and lawyers offered contrasting assessments of the legality of the U.S. charges against Emms. Jumin Lee, a U.S.-based attorney with experience working on North Korea-related cases, said there is nothing about the case that indicates the law is being applied to him in an “unusual way.” “Unilateral sanctions wouldn’t have much teeth if you could not apply them extraterritorially or to foreign nationals,” Lee told NK News. And Anthony Ruggiero, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said charges against individuals like Emms “are an integral part of enforcing U.S. sanctions against North Korea” and that “third-party individuals, companies and banks must ensure that they are not aiding the Kim regime’s sanctions efforts.” But Radha Stirling of the U.K.-based Detained in Dubai, which has been helping Emms with his case, said the U.S. has no jurisdiction over the British national. “It’s a massive overreach of U.S. enforcement to seek to impose on the sovereignty of both Britain and Saudi by claiming foreign nationals are subject to U.S. law,” she told NK News. “As a British citizen, Saudi should allow him to return to the U.K. or otherwise they risk violating United Nations policies on sovereignty,” she continued. “(Likewise) we would not accept a U.S. citizen to be extradited from Britain to Saudi for an alleged Saudi violation committed in a third nation.” SENDING A MESSAGE With no sign of the U.S. justice system dropping its interest any time soon, Emms faces an uncertain future and dwindling financial resources to stay afloat. In the “best case,” Emms said, Saudi would lift the travel ban, he would be arrested upon arrival in the U.K. and then he would go through an extradition process to the U.S. “I’m confident — and the lawyers that I’ve got in the U.K. are confident — that we can win that extradition request, we can win the case,” he said. Saudi Arabia could, however, choose to extradite Emms to the U.S., where he could be transferred to the Brooklyn Metropolitan Detention Center. Griffith was kept at the facility ahead of his court appearance in the U.S. Southern District of New York. While London last year offered “complete solidarity” to U.K. citizens targeted by Chinese sanctions, Emms told NK News no such reprieve has been relayed to him, nor have prosecutors extended a plea deal to him. Neither the Saudi nor British foreign ministries responded to NK News requests for comment. Emms estimates his legal battle, as well as his months long sojourn in the Saudi kingdom, has cost “nearly a million dollars” — which he says represents all his life savings. He also told NK News that his bank accounts have been frozen since late April after the U.S. indictment went public. For now, the U.K. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) are providing Emms with consular support, according to letters he posted on social media. “I’m here living now, really, off the grace and goodwill of friends and family in order to pay the bills,” he explained. Emms said he thinks the U.S. justice system is targeting him as a warning to others. “You can’t prosecute everyone in the world for everything, so you tend to make examples of certain people,” he said. (Original article: NK NEWS: Chad O'Carroll July 15, 2022) (Edited by Arius Derr) Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KH20nw... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/detainedindu... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai Email: info@detainedindubai.org

Drugs in Dubai. What can get you into trouble? The list is endless; Herbal tobacco, herb grinders, poppyseeds, cannabis smoked outside of the country, alcohol consumed on the flight, pharmaceuticals and more. “More and more tourists are being arrested in Dubai over drugs that are not even drugs”, explains Detained in Dubai CEO, Radha Stirling. “Just last week, a Brit was arrested over herbal tobacco because it ‘appeared’ suspicious to authorities. He’s now been told he is going to go on a travel blacklist and won’t be allowed to return, despite carrying no contraband whatsoever. “A number of travellers have been detained after random urine tests have returned positive results for cannabis smoked outside of the country while over the past decade, others have been arrested over culinary ingredients like poppy seeds. “Last year, American citizen Peter Clark was detained for cannabis legally smoked in Las Vegas before his arrival. Man Arrested In Dubai Over Legal Marijuana Now Freed Read More “In Qatar, British national Conor Howard was detained for carrying a novelty and brand new herb grinder purchased legally in Australia. After he was released, Qatar decided to place him on Interpol’s database which subsequently caused his lengthy detention in Greece as he fought extradition proceedings. “Inside the UAE, there is a huge push from local authorities to secure convictions for drugs related crime. The incentive has led to the wrongful prosecution of a number of innocent foreigners who were then subject to lengthy detention before ultimately being found innocent. “In many cases, a single person has been found to be in possession of drugs but authorities have cast such a wide net, that innocent bystanders have also been detained. Dubai drug raid: MP questions detention of air hostess BBC News “Billy Hood was jailed for CBD oil inadvertently left in his car by a visiting friend. He has remained in horrendous conditions fighting for justice but in Abu Dhabi, things move slowly. He will never be the same again. British football coach's appeal against his 25 year jail term in Dubai delayed by six weeks Daily Mail Online “Visitors to the Gulf should be reminded that even when innocent, they can still face lengthy and unfair detention, human rights violations, assault and torture. We fully expect to see more arrests in the region, particularly with the World Cup approaching. Ex-soldier held in Dubai over drugs claims BBC News “Lawyers in Dubai can be predatorial in nature, often charging foreigners hundreds of thousands for poor representation that can lead to wrongful conviction. It is simply not good enough to accept a ‘list’ of local lawyers from Embassies. Depending on the charge, it’s important to retain lawyers with integrity who effectively represent their clients and not prey on foreign nationals who fall foul of an underdeveloped legal system”. Lawyers in Dubai - An Essential Guide | Leading UAE Expert Radha Stirling, founder of Detained in Dubai and Due Process International, has helped more than fifteen thousand individuals who have faced sometimes unbelievable situations in the Emirates. With her expert knowledge and veteran experience, Stirling has produced this guide to help prevent legal abuse Detained in Dubai was founded in 2008 and has since helped in more than 15,000 cases. They are the first port of call in a crisis situation. Thousands of Brits arrested in Dubai for 'cyber crimes' Daily Star Detained in Dubai: http://www.detainedindubai.org Detained in Doha: https://www.detainedindoha.org Radha Stirling: http://www.radhastirling.com CLAN - Crypto Legal Advocacy Network - https://www.bitclan.org/ Due Process International: http://www.dueprocess.international IPEX - Interpol & Extradition Reform & Defence Experts - https://www.ipexreform.com/ Podcast: http://www.gulfinjustice.news Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6KH20nw... Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/detainedindubai Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/detainedindu... YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/detainedindubai mail: info@detainedindubai.org