40 Organisations Call for Improved HIV Treatment and Access for International Monitors in Emirati Prisons

Treatment Action Group, Action Against Aids Germany, Human Rights Watch, and 37 human rights and public health organizations and networks working on HIV and TB, have sent a letter to Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Al Nahyan calling for access to appropriate HIV treatment in Emirati detention facilities.

Increased calls for improved treatment and access for independent international monitors to detention facilities have come after a Human Rights Watch report revealed the denial of uninterrupted access to antiretroviral treatment to non-national prisoners at Al Awrir central jail in Dubai and Al-Wathba central jail in Abu Dhabi.

Today, November 19th, the UAE is hosting the Reaching the Last Mile Forum, a summit intended for global health leaders “to share insights and best practices to eradicate infectious diseases.” However, Michael Page, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch has condemned the UAE’s hubris, stating that “to show a genuine commitment to ending preventable diseases that affect the world’s most vulnerable communities, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al Nahyan should first look to cleaning up his own backyard.”