UK festival curator accuses UAE minister of sex assault

London, October 18

The chair of Britain’s Hay literary pageant mentioned Sunday the occasion is not going to return to Abu Dhabi after one of many pageant’s curators alleged that she was sexually assaulted by the tolerance minister of the United Arab Emirates whereas working with him.

Caitlin McNamara alleged she was attacked in February by Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, a member of Abu Dhabi’s ruling household, the Sunday Times reported.

The Times mentioned McNamara, who had travelled to the UAE to work on the launch of the literary pageant there, claimed she was assaulted by the sheikh after they met at a distant island villa.

The Foreign Ministry of the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms on the Arabian Peninsula additionally residence to Dubai, mentioned it doesn’t touch upon private issues.

When requested in regards to the case, Britain’s Metropolitan Police confirmed {that a} lady contacted the power on July three to report an allegation of rape, and mentioned an preliminary assertion has been taken from her.

The Associated Press doesn’t often identify sexual assault victims, however McNamara agreed to be recognized by the Sunday Times, which ran her image on the entrance web page.

Hay Festival chair Caroline Michel mentioned her colleagues are dedicated to supporting McNamara in searching for authorized motion and mentioned the pageant is not going to return to Abu Dhabi whereas the sheikh stays in his publish.

“What happened to our friend and colleague Caitlin McNamara in Abu Dhabi last February was an appalling violation and a hideous abuse of trust and position,” Michel mentioned in a press release.

“Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan made a mockery of his ministerial responsibilities and tragically undermined his government’s attempt to work with Hay Festival to promote free speech and female empowerment,” she added.

The sheikh’s ministry paid for the four-day pageant in Abu Dhabi, which happened in late February and featured a number of well-known authors.

Sheikh Nahyan has obtained worldwide consideration because the Emirates hosted Pope Francis and strikes towards normalising ties with Israel whereas welcoming Jews to this Muslim-ruled nation. — AP