Robinson had been due to appear at the festival on 2 March, according to its website. Facebook Twitter Pinterest Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed al-Maktoum, left, with the former Irish president Mary Robinson in December. Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesThe festival, sponsored by the state-owned airline, counts the British cafe chain Costa and Oxford University Press among its 2019 partners. It is being held under the patronage of Dubai’s ruler and the UAE’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum. Therefore, we consider him a prisoner of conscience,” states the letter, which was organised by the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE.

Source: The Guardian January 14, 2019 06:00 UTC