Doha Institute publishes response to AFP profile critical of its director

The Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies was "shocked" by the publication of a profile of its director, Azmi Bishara, claiming it was "part of a smear campaign", according to a statement relased on Friday.

The ACRPS said AFP's Dubai bureau "appeared willing to abandon all pretenses of journalistic integrity" by claiming Bishara was a key instrument in forming Qatar's foreign policy.

It said the profile was part of a "smear campaign" aligned with the wishes of the Abu Dhabi authorities, currently locked in a diplomatic impasse with Doha amid the wider Gulf crisis - which has seen Saudi Arabia, the UAE and others lead a maritime, aviation and land blockade of Qatar for the past year.

"These regimes have resorted to concocting wild fantasies," said a statement from the Doha-based Arab Center. "This reflects their own domestic realtity: in their own countries, freedom of expression is nowhere to be seen and academic output is subject to government scrutiny.

The research centre has requested an apology from AFP on behalf of their director.

Read the full statement here.