The UAE is a particularly bad place to be online activist

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has a poor human rights record, but it is a particularly bad place to be an online activist.

Repression against internet users has been entrenched in the UAE with the enactment of 2012 cybercrimes law.

Since then, it became a criminal offence to criticise the state or its institutions, or to organise peaceful demonstrations.

Online activists can be charged with terrorism and sentenced to death in UAE for being critical to the government.

Dozens of dissidents, including political activists, human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers, and bloggers, are currently held behind the UAE bars, many after unfair trials and allegations of torture in pretrial detention. 

Human rights groups have said the legislation places severe restrictions on the rights to free expression and free association and assembly in the country.

The UAE government and police officials claimed the crackdown is a response to a "foreign-inspired plot that aims to overthrow the government."