Raffy Tsakanika,: Family calls for Qatari crash evidence release

Rafaelle Tsakanika, 21, from Cambridge, was killed in a two-car crash near Doha in 2019

The family of a woman who died in a hit-and-run crash in Qatar is urging the Foreign Office to press authorities to release all available evidence.

Raffy Tsakanika, 21, from Cambridge, died after the car she was travelling in was struck from behind by a second vehicle near Doha in March 2019.

At an inquest last year, the coroner criticised the Qatari authorities for the lack of information provided.

The UK Foreign Office said it stood ready to offer more consular support.

The second vehicle in the crash was travelling at excess speed, causing the first to lose control and overturn.

Qatari national Mubarak Al Hajri, was sentenced in Qatar to two months in prison over the crash and ordered to pay compensation to Ms Tsakanika's family.

Following the inquest in Peterborough in December, Ms Tsakanika's parents wrote to Foreign Secretary James Cleverly asking for a meeting.

Ms Tsakanika's family are urging the Foreign Office to press Qatari authorities to release all available evidence

They received a written response from Foreign Office minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon who said the British Embassy in Doha had requested documentation from Qatari authorities.

He said that, if the family wanted it, British officials in Doha could seek written confirmation from Qatari authorities that Al Hajri had served his prison sentence.

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Radd Seiger, spokesman for Ms Tsakanika's family, described the response from the Foreign Office as "entirely unacceptable" .

"This is yet a further example of the FCDO [Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office] treating British citizens, living in Great Britain, and who are being oppressed and abused by foreign governments, like dirt on the bottom of their shoe."

He said Ms Tsakanika's family "deserved to get the very best diplomatic muscle".

"But instead [they] got barely a whimper while the Qatari authorities were doing their best to kick Raffy's embarrassing death under the carpet in the lead up to the World Cup," said Mr Seiger.

The crash happened roughly 10 miles (16km) north of central Doha

He called on ministers and senior officials to go back to the Qataris and "insist that the evidence that they clearly have" is disclosed to the family and the UK coroner so consideration can be given to a fresh inquest.

Last year's inquest was told that speed cameras captured Al Hajri's car, apparently undamaged shortly before the collision and damaged shortly afterwards, but these images were not provided to the UK coroner by the Qatari authorities.

The coroner concluded that Ms Tsakanika died as a result of a road traffic accident.

An FCDO spokesperson said: "We have supported the family of a woman who died in Qatar in 2019 and have raised this case with the Qatari authorities at ministerial level.

"We stand ready to offer further consular support as appropriate."