Emirati human rights activist Alaa Al-Siddiq dies in crash

An Emirati human rights activist has been identified as the victim of a fatal road crash.

Alaa Al-Siddiq, 33, from London, died in a collision between a BMW and a Land Rover at the junction of the A361 and the B4437 near Shipton-under-Wychwood, Oxfordshire, at about 20:20 BST on Sunday.

Human rights group ALQST said it mourned its executive director's death.

Thames Valley Police said no arrests had been made.

Ms Al-Siddiq had been travelling in the back seat of the BMW and died at the scene.

In a statement, ALQST, which works to defend human rights in Saudi Arabia, described Ms Al-Siddiq as an "icon of the Emirati human rights movement".

The London-based group said: "Many people will remember her tireless devotion to her work; her passion for helping others and standing up for them; her powerful defence of human rights; and her efforts in support of worthy causes."

It added Ms Al-Siddiq left the UAE to fight for human rights after her father was "arbitrarily imprisoned".

She worked as a volunteer at ALQST before going on to to become its executive director.

Paying tribute, Amnesty International said her death was a "huge loss to the human rights community".

Another human rights group, Dawn, said: "Al-Siddiq was inspired, not defeated, by the injustice experienced by her father, Muhammed al-Siddiq, to seek justice for all of the people of the Gulf region deprived of basic human rights."

ALQST said it had investigated the crash and found "no suggestion of foul play".

Police said one of the BMW passengers, who suffered non-life threatening fractures, remained in hospital in a stable condition.

Another passenger in the car, who suffered minor injuries, had been discharged from hospital along with a four-year-old child.

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