Amnesty expert denied entry to UAE

The UAE denied entry to Amnesty International’s acting head of business and human rights, who flew into Dubai on 26 May to speak at a conference about the responsibility corporations have to respect the rights of migrant workers employed in the construction boom across the Gulf. James Lynch said he was given no explanation, but had seen a deportation order that mentioned “reasons of security”. The UAE has made something of a habit of turning away people whose opinions it would prefer not to be aired. In March, it refused entry to New York University professor Andrew Ross, also ostensibly on security grounds.