Terminally ill Alia Abdel Nour dies of deliberate medical negligence in UAE hospital

Alia Abdel Nour, who had been one suffering from breast cancer, died on Saturday in Tawan hospital after UAE authorities refused her early release on health grounds.

In a case Human Rights Watch described as as ‘marred by due process violations’,  Alia was arrested in 2015 and disappeared for six months without being allowed to communicate with her family, and without disclosing any information about her fate.

Diagnosed with cancer, UAE authorities refused to grant her necessary chemotherapy and adequate medical care.

Abdel Nour was sentenced to 10-years in jail in the UAE over for collecting money to Syrian refugees on social media following the 2011 Syrian crisis.

"The cruel and senseless suffering Abdel Nour and her family have been subjected to blows the UAE's rhetoric around tolerance right out of the water," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East and North Africa director of HRW.

"While heart wrenching, Abdel Nour's case is not unique," Whitson said.

The UAE has been repeatedly accused by HRW and other human rights organisations of the torture and ill-treatment of detainees, and "serious violations" of due process in security-related cases