After serving his three-year prison sentence, the UAE continues to illegally detain Osama Al-Najjar

Emirati activist Osama al-Najjar, jailed  on 17 March 2014, was scheduled to be released yesterday after serving three years in prison for posting a series of tweets criticising a mass trial of government critics and reform advocates known as UAE94 unfair trial. 
 
However, Osama remains kept in incommunicado detention without any legal basis in flagrant violation to both international and UAE laws, as there is no reason for depriving him of his liberty.

Many online activists have expressed their deep concern regarding the ongoing arbitrary detention of Osama al-Najar, which seems to aim only at preventing him from carrying out his peaceful human rights activities.

Unfortunately, Osama's case is not unique. The online activist Obaid Yousef al-Zaabi is also continued to be illegally detained in UAE jails although on June 23, 2014 the State Security Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court in Abu Dhabi acquitted him of all charges.

The UAE has strict laws and regulations restricting Emiratis’ right to free expression and opinion. Under these laws, the UAE government has targeted and prosecuted a number of activists for their expression.