UAE bars British scholar from entry over 'non-constructive' views on Bahrain uprising
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The United Arab Emirates says it has barred a British scholar from entering the country because of his views on the uprising against fellow Gulf rulers in Bahrain.
Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, co-director of the Kuwait program at the London School of Economics, was due to speak Sunday at an Arab Spring conference co-hosted by the University of Sharjah.
He was turned back at Dubai's airport on Friday and organizers called off the event, citing restrictions on free speech.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
The UAE's Foreign Ministry on Monday described Ulrichsen's work as critical of Bahrain's monarchy, which is closely backed by Gulf Arab states. It says "non-constructive" views on Bahrain are unwelcome amid talks seeking to ease the two-year-old unrest.
Bahrain's majority Shiites are seeking a greater political voice in the Sunni-ruled kingdom.