The unfair mass trial of 84 Emirati men, including human rights defenders and prisoners of conscience Ahmed Mansoor, Mohammed al-Roken, and Nasser bin Ghaith, on charges under an indictment that has so far been kept secret, is ongoing. On February 7, 2024, during the fifth trial session before the Federal Appeal Court in Abu Dhabi, defendants stated that they continued to be held in solitary confinement and disputed the Prosecution’s arguments that the new case against them is different from the one they had previously been convicted and sentenced for in 2013.
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contact information:
Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan
President of the United Arab Emirates
Twitter: @MohamedBinZayed
Embassy of UAE in the United States
His Excellency Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba
3522 International Court,
NW, Suite 400, Washington DC 20008
Email: [email protected]
sample letter:
Your Highness,
I am concerned that the ongoing mass trial of 84 Emirati men, including 26 prisoners of conscience, among them Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith, and Mohammed al-Roken, is politically motivated and disregards the defendants’ right to a fair trial.
The new mass trial began on December 7, 2023, before the Federal Appeal Court in Abu Dhabi, on charges of establishing a “terrorist organization”, the Justice and Dignity Committee, and supporting and funding this organization. At least 66 of the defendants in the ongoing mass trial face double jeopardy as they were previously convicted in 2013 in the UAE94 mass trial on charges related to establishing the Justice and Dignity Committee, to call for the respect of human rights in the UAE.
The latest trial session took place on February 7 and unlike the previous four hearings, family members of the defendants were finally allowed to enter the court room to follow the proceedings. They reported that the prosecution accused the UAE94 group of initiating the March 2011 petition calling for democratic reform, to which Ahmed Mansoor responded that he was the one who had initiated and worked on it. The next trial session is scheduled for February 15.
I urge your Highness to take all necessary measures to secure the immediate and unconditional release of prisoners of conscience Ahmed Mansoor, Mohammed al-Roken, Nasser bin Ghaith, and all others arbitrarily detained and prosecuted in the ongoing mass trial solely for exercising their rights to freedom of expression and association; and for all charges against them stemming from their exercise of their human rights to be dropped. In the meantime, I call on you to ensure that they are detained in conditions that comply with international standards; and have immediate and regular access to their families and lawyers and any health care they may require.
Yours sincerely,
[YOUR NAME]
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