ICJHR: Jordanian journalist tortured in UAE jails

The Executive Director of the ICJHR Ms Safwa Aissa revealed Friday that the Jordanian journalist Tayssir al-Najjar, held in UAE jails for more than 20 months, was subjected to severe torture.

Tayssir al-Najjar is being kept and tortured in a secret prison and forced to sign papers while being blindfolded, Ms Aissa stressed.

According to her statements, al-Najjar is threatened to lose his eyesight as he was prohibited from the exposure to the fresh air and sun which affected his eyes and health.

For her part, al-Najjar's wife has revealed that her husband is being severely tortured and beaten which affected his health situation and sight.

Al-Najjar was arrested on December 13, 2015, for a 2014 Facebook post critical of the Emirati authorities’ support to the Egyptian intervention in the Gaza strip.

It is important to note that he was forcibly disappeared for a three months’ period, during which his whereabouts remained unknown.

 In addition, he was deprived of his right to legal counsel and right to communicate with his lawyer in privacy. Moreover, he was forced to sign documents while being blindfolded without knowing their content and subjected to torture and ill-treatment.

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