Emirati authorities arrest children of father who died in Syria

The 3 children of Mohamed Ahmed Abdouly have been arrested and taken into detention by Emirati authorities in the Emirate of Fujairah. Abdouly died in 2013 in Raqqa in Syria, where he was part of the Syrian rebel group, Ahrar al Sham fighting against Assad forces.

The two sisters, Amina Mohammed Abdouly, 33 and Moza Mohammed Abdouly, 18 and their brother Mohammed Musab Abdouly, 25 were arrested by the security forces after they raided their house on November 19 2015. The house was reportedly searched and ransacked by the security forces without a warrant.

The three siblings were arrested and detained and have not been heard from since their detention. In the UAE enforced disappearances have become commonplace, earlier in 2015 the three Suwaidi sisters were arrested and disappeared for 3 months after tweeting and calling for the release of their brother. In August 2015 prominent economist Dr Nasser bin Ghaith was taken into detention by the security forces and has been disappeared for over 3 months.

Mohammed Musab Abdouly was previously arrested in 2013 for 4 months and was dismissed from the UAE army, with no reason or explanation being given.

No official reason has been given for the arrest of the Abdouly siblings, although their disappearance could be linked to their father’s activities in Syria. The UAE have forbidden any Emiratis from partaking in or supporting the Syrian rebel forces and fighting.

This latest disappearance is a worrying development in the practice of disappearances in the UAE. Given the use of torture in prisons and detention facilities in the UAE, there is real concern about the situation facing the Abdouly siblings whilst detained. With the large number of human rights violations in the UAE, there is a serious danger to the safety of the detainees.