Country: United Arab Emirates

While the United Arab Emirates markets itself as a progressive economic safe-haven and cultural hub in the region, with offshoots of New York and Sorbonne University, as well as the Louvre museum, the human rights reality on the ground stands at stark contrast.

Freedom of opinion and expression is severely limited by a restrictive legal framework, including the Cybercrime Law, the Law on Combating Terrorist Crimes and the Penal Code, making critical civil society space non-existent. Human rights defenders and peaceful dissidents face harsh reprisals for their activism, often in the form of arbitrary detention. Torture is systematically practised to obtain confessions that are later used as the sole evidence at trial to sentence individuals to long prison terms.

Regionally, the UAE adopts an interventionist approach within the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen, where it consolidated its control over large areas in the south of the country, controlling the seaport, airport, military checkpoints and some official as well as unofficial detention centres.

MENA Rights Group highlights widespread practice of enforced disappearance in the United Arab Emirates in general allegation to the UN

MENA Rights Group submitted a general allegation to the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances highlighting obstacles to the implementation of the 1992 Declaration on the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearance in the United Arab Emirates.

The fight against torture in the United Arab Emirates requires significant changes in law and practice

Despite the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) ratification of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) in 2012, the practice of torture remains widespread in the UAE. On July 13 and 14, 2022, the UN Committee against Torture examined the UAE’s implementation of the provisions of the UNCAT […]

United Arab Emirates: Free members of UAE94 and other prisoners of conscience

On the anniversary of the verdicts in the mass trial of prominent human rights defenders, lawyers, judges, academics and students known as the UAE94, we the undersigned call on allies of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to press the Emirati authorities to immediately and unconditionally release all those convicted following a trial that lacked the […]

Joint report by MENA Rights Group and EDAC on the UAE’s implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment

Executive Summary In view of the first review of the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) implementation of the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) by the UN Committee against Torture, MENA Rights Group and the Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center (EDAC) submitted a joint report to the Committee highlighting […]

Alaa Al-Siddiq, freedom fighter

One year ago, the human rights community was shocked to hear of the death of Emirati human rights defender Alaa Al-Siddiq in a tragic car accident, the day after she celebrated her 33rd birthday. We, the undersigned organisations, are taking the occasion of her birthday to announce the designation of this day, 18 June, as […]

Detainees of conscience in UAE prisons

Joint letter calling on the President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to intervene immediately in favour of the release of prisoners of conscience.

New UAE penal code: increased restrictions on fundamental freedoms

1. Context In November 2021, Emirati state news agency WAM announced the amendment of 40 federal laws.[i] The announced legal changes included the enactment of a new Federal Crime and Punishment Law (penal code) that came into force in January 2022.[ii] This new code replaced the previous one, which dated from 1987. According to the […]

UAE: Call for the release of Amina al-Abdouli and Maryam al-Balushi on International Women’s Day

On International Women’s Day, MENA Rights Group joined NGOs in calling on the release of Amina al-Abdouli and Maryam al-Balushi, who have been detained arbitrarily in the UAE since 2015.

UAE authorities disappear and deport Baloch man to Pakistan where he faces torture

On January 26, 2022, at around 7:30 pm, six Emirati security officials, dressed in civilian clothing arrived in three cars at the building where Abdul Hafeez Ramzan and his family were residing. Two of these officials identified themselves as belonging to the Security Industry Regularity Agency (SIRA), while four of the officials identified themselves as […]

Human rights NGOs call on the UAE to immediately repeal or amend its new Law on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime

On January 2, 2022, the UAE’s new Law on Combatting Rumours and Cybercrime went into effect, replacing the Emirates’ former 2012 Law on Combatting Cybercrime. The new Law, however, further restricts free speech in the UAE and criminalises and imposes heavy prison sentences on acts that are protected under international law. In a joint statement […]