Open letter to UAE ambassador urging the release of human rights lawyer Mohammed al-Roken 

Mr Mansoor Abulhoul

UAE Embassy

1-2 Grosvenor Crescent

Belgravia, London 

SW1X 7EE

10 June 2021

RE: RELEASE HUMAN RIGHTS LAWYER DR MOHAMMED AL-ROKEN

 Dear Ambassador,

We are writing to you to call for the urgent release of Dr Mohammed Al-Roken, an outstanding Emirati human rights lawyer, who is unfairly detained for providing legal support to human rights defenders and peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression.  

Since Dr Mohammed Al-Roken’s arrest on 17 July 2012 and his consequent sentencing on 2 July 2013, he has been subjected to discriminatory treatment. Dr Al-Roken, along with a group of prominent academics and activists, was subjected to a grossly unfair mass trial in which he was sentenced to 10 years. The mass trial known as the ‘UAE 94’ saw Dr Al-Roken subjected to various violations; denied rights to legal representation and refused access to court documents until the second hearing.

Violations against Dr Al-Roken have continued inside Al-Razeen prison, where he is detained. Recent revelations show he has been exposed to constant illumination for 24 hours a day, impacting his mental and physical health as persistent light causes sleep deprivation. Previously, Dr Al-Roken has experienced music torture, whereby prison guards blast propaganda music in his cell continuously for hours at unbearably high volumes, causing him to pass out due to high blood pressure. Furthermore, due to his appalling prison conditions and subsequent poor health, Dr Al-Roken has become more at risk of becoming infected with Covid-19, notably as the coronavirus pandemic has spread into numerous UAE prisons.  

His continual imprisonment and constant physical and psychological torture are a direct rebuttal against his incredible work and human rights activism. Consequently, we regard him as a prisoner of conscience. Thus, providing he remains incarcerated and continues to be subjected to abuse, grave injustices prevail.

Therefore, based on the unjust ten-year sentence and torture inflicted on Dr Al-Roken, we urge you to use your influence as UAE ambassador to ensure his urgent release and to encourage the release of all prisoners of conscience.

Sincerely,

The International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE