#TwitterStorm: Wish Unjustly Imprisoned Human Rights Lawyer Mohammed Al-Roken a Happy Birthday on Twitter
ICFUAE encourages everyone to take to Twitter on Saturday 26th September to call for the immediate and unconditional release of Mohammed al-Roken, an Emirati lawyer who has been unjustly detained since 2012.
This Saturday will mark his 58th birthday. Although we know that it won’t be a happy day for him or his family, we would like to take this opportunity to show him our solidarity and request his urgent release by using the hashtags #HappyBirthdayMohammed and #FreeAlRoken.
Who is Mohammed al-Roken?
Mohammed al-Roken is a prominent human rights lawyer and activist, who is currently serving a 10-year sentence in the UAE for signing an online petition, which called for democratic reforms. He is being detained in Abu Dhabi’s notoriously repressive Al-Razeen prison, where he has been denied family and counsellor visits, forced to endure long periods of solitary confinement and has also been subjected to torture. A winner of the 2017 Ludovic Trarieux Award for ‘dedicating two decades to defending fundamental freedoms’, he has spent his life standing up for the human rights of others; now we should speak up for him!
What can I do to help?
On 26th September, help to draw attention to Mohammed al-Roken’s plight by joining the Twitter storm. Tweet as many times as you can throughout the day on Saturday using the hashtags #HappyBirthdayMohammed and #FreeAlRoken.
You can address your tweets to Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum @HHShkMohd, the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and ask him to #FreeAlRoken. You can also tweet to Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan @SaifBZayed, the Minister of Interior, who is the authority responsible for prisons in the UAE and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan @MohamedBinZayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
You can write your own messages or use our sample tweets:
- Instead of spending his 58th birthday with his family, Mohammed al-Roken is unjustly imprisoned in the #UAE for peacefully exercising his right to freedom of expression. We call on UAE rulers @MohamedBinZayed & @HHShkMohd to #FreeAlRoken. And we wish you a #HappyBirthdayMohammed
- Dr Mohammed al-Roken, an Emirati lawyer, devoted his life to defending #HumanRights until he himself was unjustly jailed for supporting democratic reform. Today, on his 58th birthday, our thoughts are with him. He has not been forgotten! #HappyBirthdayMohammed #FreeAlRoken
- #UAE: Since his arrest more than eight years ago, Mohammed al-Roken has been tortured and subjected to prolonged solitary confinement in #AbuDhabi’s Al-Razeen prison. Please join us in calling for @HHShkMohd & @MohamedBinZayed to immediately and unconditionally #FreeAlRoken.
- Emirati human rights lawyer and #PrisonerOfConscience Dr Mohammed al-Roken turns 58 today. We wish him a happy birthday and demand his immediate and unconditional release. @HHShkMohd and @MohamedBinZayed #FreeAlRoken! #HappyBirthdayMohammed
- #UAE: Immediately & unconditionally release #PrisonerOfConscience Mohammed al-Roken who, under draconian anti-terror laws, was sentenced to 10 years for advocating human rights in the #UAE. @SaifBZayed, @HHShkMohd & @MohamedBinZayed #FreeAlRoken
- Mohammed Al-Roken is a prominent lawyer & winner of the 2017 Ludovic Trarieux International Human Rights Prize. He has been jailed in the UAE since 2012, solely for his peaceful human rights activism. We urge the #UAE government to #FreeAlRoken today, on his 58th birthday!
