Born in Sharjah to an educated and religious family, Alaa received a bachelor’s degree in Shariah from the University of Sharjah in 2010, graduating with first class honors. She was the president of the Emirates National Student Union between 2007 and 2008. In the context of the 2011 Arab Spring, Alaa had begun creating a youth petition group made up of fellow students and would have frequent meetups both in person and online to discuss human rights issues and what they can do to improve the lives of other Emirates. Alaa went on to obtain a post-graduate diploma in education from the University of Sharjah. Following the detention of her father, Mohammed al-Siddiq, and increased state repression against activists and reformists, Alaa moved to Qatar in 2012 along with her husband seeking asylum. She resided there for a few years and pursued a master’s degree in public policy from Hamad Bin Khalifa University, graduating in 2016. Continue
ALQST for Human Rights is an independent NGO established in 2014 by Saudi Arabian human rights defender Yahya Assiri for the purpose of defending and promoting human rights in Saudi Arabia. ‘Al-qist’ means ‘justice’ in Arabic, and a passion for justice lies at the heart of all our work. We take a consistent human rights-based approach based on international human rights law and international standards, and defend fundamental rights for all without any distinction of race, colour, sex, language, religion or national or social origin. We conduct on-the-ground research, engage in international legal and public advocacy, and campaign on behalf of victims of human rights abuses. Continue
