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United Arab Emirates Human Rights
Human Rights Concerns
Amnesty International is concern on reports of arbitrary arrest and torture of detainees. Political suspects in the UAE are commonly held incommunicado in undisclosed locations. Those arrested by Amn al-Dawla are reportedly often kept in solitary confinement. A few political detainees have been allowed to make brief and limited phone calls to their families. Political parties do not exist in the UAE; political dissent is not tolerated and there are severe restrictions on freedom of expression.
The use of torture of political detainees has been widely reported. Methods have included sleep deprivation, suspension by the wrists or ankles followed by severe beatings to the soles of the feet and even the use of electric shocks to various parts of the body.
Political parties do not exist in the UAE; political dissent is not tolerated and there are severe restrictions on freedom of expression and association. Websites have been targeted for closure and their owners prosecuted for defamation.
In April 2011 three advocate of political reform were detained in the United Arab Emirates, apparently linked to their calls for political reform. Their lawyer does not know where they are being held. Ahmad Mansoor, a blogger associated with Hewar, an online political forum that is blocked by the UAE authorities, was detained on April 8. Fahad Salem al-Shehhi, also associated with the online political forum Hewar was arrested on April 10. Nasseer bin Ghaith, an economist and lecturer was detained on April 10. They are likely to be prisoners of conscience.
The use of torture of political detainees has been widely reported. Methods have included sleep deprivation, suspension by the wrists or ankles followed by severe beatings to the soles of the feet and even the use of electric shocks to various parts of the body.
Women continued to suffer discrimination in law and practice. Foreign migrant workers, who make up a large proportion of the UAE's workforce and many of whom are employed in construction, faced exploitation, abuse and poor living conditions. Media reports suggested that some women survivors of rape did not report the crime to the police for fear that they would be charged with engaging in illicit sex.
Relevant Links
UAE Newsroom
June 22, 2017 • Press Release
Yemen: Urgent investigation needed into UAE torture network and possible U.S. role
Following an Associated Press investigation alleging that United Arab Emirates (UAE) and its allied Yemeni security forces are arbitrarily detaining and torturing detainees, who are also being interrogated by U.S. forces in a network of secret prisons across Southern Yemen, Lynn Maalouf, Director of Research at Amnesty International in the Middle East said:
February 22, 2016 • Press Release
Amnesty International’s Annual State of the World Report Slams Governments, Including the U.S., for Global Assault on Freedoms
On the launch of its 2015 State of the World report, Amnesty International USA urged President Obama to use his last year in office to bring U.S. laws and policies in line with international human rights standards.
February 18, 2016 • Press Release
Your rights in jeopardy, global assault on freedoms, warns Amnesty International
International protection of human rights is in danger of unravelling as short-term national self-interest and draconian security crackdowns have led to a wholesale assault on basic freedoms and rights, warned Amnesty International as it launched its annual assessment of human rights around the world. “Your rights are in jeopardy: they are being treated with utter contempt by many governments around the world,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
February 18, 2016 • Report
Amnesty International State of the World 2015-2016
International protection of human rights is in danger of unravelling as short-term national self-interest and draconian security crackdowns have led to a wholesale assault on basic freedoms and rights, warned Amnesty International as it launched its annual assessment of human rights around the world. “Your rights are in jeopardy: they are being treated with utter contempt by many governments around the world,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
August 28, 2015 • Press Release
Foreign national tortured in UAE custody and detained without charge for a year
The case of Salim al-Aradi, a dual Libyan-Canadian national who has been detained for a year without charge, highlights pervasive repression by the authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), said Amnesty international.
August 20, 2015 • Press Release
UAE: Torture fears for prominent academic held in secret detention
Fears are mounting that prominent academic Dr Nasser bin Ghaith could be at risk of torture or other ill-treatment in secret detention since his arrest by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) authorities on August 18.
May 27, 2015 • Press Release
UAE denies entry to Amnesty International expert
The United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) refusal to allow an Amnesty International expert to enter the country last night to speak at a conference is the latest in a shocking series of incidents highlighting the government’s desire to silence dissenting views and tighten its stranglehold on freedom of expression.
February 25, 2015 • Report
State of the World 2014/2015
This has been a devastating year for those seeking to stand up for human rights and for those caught up in the suffering of war zones. Governments pay lip service to the importance of protecting civilians. And yet the world's politicians have miserably failed to protect those in greatest need. Amnesty International believes that this can and must finally change.
November 17, 2014 • Report
“There is No Freedom Here” Silencing Dissent in the United Arab Emirates
Scores of activists in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been harassed, arrested and in some cases tortured in custody according to a new report by Amnesty International that sheds light on the repressive tactics widely used by the government to silence its critics. “'There is No Freedom Here:' Silencing Dissent in the UAE" lifts the lid on the climate of fear that has taken hold in the country since 2011, with the authorities going to extreme lengths to stamp out any sign of dissent, criticism or calls for reform in the wake of the mass popular uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa.
May 29, 2013 • Report
Annual Report: United Arab Emirates 2013
United Arab Emirates Head of state Shaikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan Head of government Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid More than 90 government critics, including human rights defenders, were in detention at the end of the year without charge or trial amid increasing restrictions on the rights to freedom of expression, association and assembly. At …