Detained in UAE without charge, Jordanian journalist still waiting for justice

Jordanian journalist Tayseer Al-Najjar  has been held without charge for more than a year  in the UAE for a 2014 Facebook post critical of Emirati authorities.

Al-Najjar was arrested on 13th December 2015, but his family was not made aware of his whereabouts until UAE authorities allowed him to call his wife and five children in February2016.

He was held in solitary confinement for months, which considerably impaired his health due to malnutrition and the lack of sunlight. 

His family has sent  many  letters and appeals to the UAE embassy in Jordan calling for his immediate and unconditional release. 

It seems that UAE authorities are unwilling to come clear as to the reason they are holding Al-Najjar and they continue to disregard all the Jordanian and international appeals for his release.

Abducting the Jordanian journalist was not the first of its type against the journalists and social media activists. The Emirati authorities use abduction and holding incommunicado as methods of psychological torture to force them confess. 

The abduction of Al-Najjar is a violation of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the right to information. Also, it violates his right to person safety, and undermine the confidence in having a fair trial.

Source: http://echr.org.uk/news/video-detained-uae-without-charge-jordanian-jour...