UAE blocks academic from Arab Spring meet

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, co-director of the Kuwait programme at the London School of Economics, said on Saturday he was denied entry in Dubai and returned to London.

A Yemeni pro-democracy protester with covered eyes and shackled hands marches during a parade marking the second anniversary of the revolution in Sanaa, Yemen, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. The 2011 Yemeni Revolution was as an extension of the broader Arab Spring which has toppled four authoritarian leaders to date. Yemenis were able to create a unique revolution, their struggle came peacefully, unarmed, and lead by women and youth. (AP Photo/Hani Mohammed)

The London School of Economics has pulled out of an academic conference on the >Arab Spring after one of its scholars says he was denied entry into the United Arab Emirates.

The dispute comes as the UAE shows increasing unease about possible Arab Spring-inspired political challenges, including a widening crackdown on perceived dissent that includes 94 people charged with coup plotting.

Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, co-director of the Kuwait programme at the London School of Economics, said on Saturday he was denied entry in Dubai and returned to London.

In response, the London School of Economics pulled out of the planned Sunday conference on the Arab Spring and its aftermath, co-hosted by the University of Sharjah.