UAE arrests, tortures a mentally disabled Omani citizen

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) detained and tortured a mentally disabled Omani man for more than two months for allegedly “insulting the state,” family sources affirmed.

Al-Balad Omani newspaper identified the detained young man as Thamer al-Balouchi who was detained on March 2016 for “mocking the UAE’s policy.”

Al-Balouchi suffers from a mental disorder, his brother told the paper. He was receiving treatment when he was arrested, he added.

He was stopped and searched for long hours in al-Hodud area where he talked with UAE security forces about the country’s participation in the Saudi-led campaign in Yemen.

Al-Baloushi family called on Omani Embassy in UAE to immediately intervene for the release of their son and to check on his detention condition.

An Omani blogger was recently released from UAE prisons after months of detention for similar charges.