UAE human rights record discussed during preliminary session Universal Periodic Review
The preliminary session for the 43rd Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held in Geneva on Monday amid UAE delegation absence.
The session included a review of the human rights records of 12 countries, including the UAE.
Five rights organisations working on UAE human rights violations have participated in the session, including the Advocacy Center for Detainees in the UAE, the Mena Rights Group, the Gulf Centre for Human Rights, and the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE.
The Director of Emirates Detainees Advocacy Center, Hamad Al-Shamsi, addressed the audience regarding the attacks and retaliatory actions faced by human rights defenders in the UAE. He described the UAE as one of the most perilous places for human rights defenders in the Middle East.
Al-Shamsi emphasized that human rights defenders in the UAE are consistently exposed to arbitrary arrests, intimidation, and prolonged detention under repressive laws that do not comply with international standards. He highlighted numerous cases where human rights defenders have been convicted for their human rights activities, including Ahmed Mansoor and Abdul Rahman Al-Nahhas.
Al-Shamsi added that the Emirati authorities systematically use citizenship revocation as a form of punishment against detainees of conscience and their families. Dozens of them and their children have had their citizenships revoked without any legal proceedings.
According to Al-Shamsi UAE authorities exploit the fight against terrorism as an excuse to punish detainees of conscience and to prolong their detention indefinitely without any defined period. Currently, there are 56 detainees of conscience in UAE prisons whose sentences have ended, yet they are still detained without any legal procedures.
At the end of his speech, Al-Shamsi called on the participating country delegates in the Universal Periodic Review (UPR) to pressure the UAE authorities to release all detainees of conscience and to stop all retaliatory actions against human rights defenders.
On the other hand, a representative from the human rights group, Mena, addressed the State Security Law and fair trials, noting that there is a pattern of subjecting individuals accused of crimes against state security to a legal system with fewer procedural guarantees and more restrictions. Individuals are usually held in secret locations without the right to meet a lawyer.
The representative of ” Mena ” for Human Rights further explained that the State Security Prosecution can detain individuals for up to 90 days, which is a clear violation of the right to a prompt trial. She recommended amending the State Security Apparatus law and respecting international legal standards for a fair trial.
Meanwhile, another representative of the Gulf Center for Human Rights criticized the state of freedom of expression in the UAE, pointing out that Emirati laws criminalize freedom of expression. He also noted that the UAE’s National Human Rights Committee does not comply with Paris Principles, as most of its members are from the police, and some of them consider human rights defenders as traitors.
A representative of the Gulf Center for Human Rights recommended that the UAE authorities ensure freedom of expression and peaceful assembly, amend the law of the National Human Rights Institution, and guarantee its independence.
In turn, a representative of the International Campaign for Freedom in the UAE spoke about the continued torture in the UAE, stressing that torture is one of the most concerning crimes and it is necessary to end this practice in the UAE permanently by recommending amendments to UAE laws to ensure the prohibition of torture.
Aymen Zaghdoudi, a representative of Access Now, also raised concerns about surveillance and violation of privacy in the UAE and recommended stopping surveillance of human rights activists and opponents and introducing monitoring mechanisms for the acquisition of surveillance technology.
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**Every 5 years, the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva reviews the human rights situation of every country in the world**
