ICFUAE statement on Human Rights Day

Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR). On 10 December 1948, the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted this milestone document, guaranteeing fundamental rights and freedoms to everyone.

Seven decades on, however, many of the most basic human rights outlined in the UDHR are systematically violated by the United Arab Emirates.

There are numerous records of enforced disappearances and arbitrary detentions of political dissidents in the UAE. Scores of academics, lawyers and journalists surf lengthy prison sentences for merely speaking out against oppression in the country.

These detainees are routinely denied the fundamental rights to a fair trial as well as to appoint legal counsel of their choosing. Many are held incommunicado in unknown locations without contact to the outside world.

In recent years, furthermore, numerous accounts have revealed accusations of torture and other forms of ill-treatment of political dissidents in UAE prisons.

ICFUAE call on the UAE government, as a member of the UN Human Rights Council, to immediately stop these gross and systematic human rights violations.

The UAE must adhere to its obligations to uphold human rights and fundamental freedoms for all its citizens, as outlined by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.