Wife of jailed Qatari sheikh appeals to the UN

Asma Arian, the German wife of Sheikh Talal Bin Abdelaziz Bin Ahmed Bin Ali Al-Thani, has sent an appeal on behalf of her husband to the United Nations special rapporteur on torture Nils Melzer. In a video released on Twitter on 15 April, she said the urgent appeal had been submitted on 12 March. Arian claims Sheikh Talal has been in jail in Qatar for seven years, is being held in “extremely harsh conditions” and the mistreatment has put his life in serious danger. She claims he has been denied access to medical care and to his family and lawyer.