Scottish engineer detained in Iraq faces imminent extradition to Qatar

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The family of 43-year-old Brian Glendinning, a married father of three who has a granddaughter, has set up a crowdfunding appeal to cover his legal cost.

In 2016 Brian took out a £20,000 low-interest loan from Qatar National Bank and he was fired from his job a year later.

The bank filed a criminal complaint against him for "defaulting" on the loan, he was convicted to two years in absentia, and his name submitted to Interpol as a fugitive for extradition.

Radha Stirling, CEO of Detained in Doha and of the Interpol reform NGO IPEX, said in a press release: "Our immediate concern is for Brian's safety; Iraqi prisons are notoriously harsh, horribly overcrowded, unsanitary, and breeding places of disease."

"The inmates are disproportionately violent militants charged with terrorism, and a Westerner like Brian is in imminent danger."

"Next there is the risk of Brian's extradition to Qatar, where he would face two years in prison where conditions are not significantly better."

Brian, 43, has been held in a police cell in Iraq for a month after being detained in Basra on his way to start a new job.

His family are warning football fans going to the World Cup in Qatar in November that there are risks travelling to the Gulf State.

Brian's family have also called on the British government to intervene and raised serious concerns about his mental health.

"Unfortunately, Britain's influence in Iraq, in Qatar, and the Gulf overall, has dwindled over the past decade, as has the UK's will to intervene in these countries on behalf of its citizens," Radha continued.

"Qatar is pumping tens of billions of pounds of investment into the UK, and Qataris pour billions more into British real estate every year. We have seen government support for British expats in the Gulf steadily evaporating as Qatari, Saudi, and Emirati investment flows into the UK."

"There is no doubt that the FCDO can successfully intervene to secure Brian's release, but we will need overwhelming public support to make sure that happens."

Source: Middle East Monitor under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0