Emirati Judge ignores evidence of torture against peaceful activists

Democracy for the Arab World Now (DAWN) affirmed in a near release that the Emirati judge Falah al-Hajri presided over the 2013 trials of the "UAE 94," a group of 94 individuals, including human rights defenders, judges, academics, student leaders, and more.

Those sentenced included prominent activists Mohammad al-Roken and Abdulsalam Darwish al-Marzooqi, both previously profiled by DAWN. Al-Hajri is responsible for grossly violating the human rights of the defendants, as the trial he presided over included serious violations of due process, and al-Hajri ignored accusations of torture during pretrial detention. 

At least 17 of the detainees remain arbitrarily detained beyond their sentenced release date.

"Al-Hajri seems to think that his job is to enforce the will of Emirati political elites within the UAE rather than enforce just laws and ensure basic principles of rights and due process," said Jon Hoffman, Research Director at DAWN.

"It is shocking that a judge can hear so many torture complaints from different prisoners throughout months of detention and during court sessions, yet do nothing to restore even a modicum of justice to his court."