Manchester City Council under pressure to speak up for Ahmed Mansoor

Manchester City Council is resisting calls to raise the issue of human rights abuses in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with which it has close business ties.

Campaigners want Manchester City Council to use its position to speak up for Ahmed Mansoor – a human rights defender from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who is being held in custody. His arrest last month follows a crackdown on activists and lawyers in the country, which has seen scores jailed.

Amnesty International says Manchester is in a unique position to stand up for Mansoor due to its commercial relationships with senior figures in the country’s government.

However, the council says its business relationships are with private entities and that human rights issues fall outside its remit.

Source: http://www.bigissuenorth.com/news/2017/04/uae-rights-outside-council-remit/