HRW calls for immediate release of Ahmed Mansoor

Human Rights Watch called on UAE authorities to “immediately release Ahmed Mansoor, an award-winning human rights activist, and vacate the 10-year prison sentence issued against him for crimes that appear to violate his right to free expression.”

“The UAE has exposed itself as a brutally repressive place more interested in sending rights defenders to rot in jail than in any real reform,” Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch said.

“So long as Mansoor remains in prison, no amount of money nor army of public relations firms will be able to wash away this stain on the UAE’s reputation.”

On May 30, the UAE-based newspaper The National reported that a court had sentenced Ahmed Mansoor to 10 years in prison, and a fine of 1,000,000 UAE Dirhams (US$272,000).

Read full press release: https://www.hrw.org/news/2018/06/01/uae-award-winning-activist-jailed-10-years