The UAE prosecute Tayseer al Najjar for his views and opinions

On February 15, 2017, Jordanian citizen Tayseer al Najjar will be brought before the Federal Court of Appeal located in Abu Dhabi following his lawyer request. During the previous hearing session held on February 1, 2017, his lawyer, Mr. Ali Khadr al-Abadi, presented a motion to adjourn the verdict, in order to be able to examine the case files and prepare his defense.

We recall that Mr. Tayseer al Najjar is tried over a Facebook post that he published while in Jordan, in which he expressed his solidarity with the resistance in Gaza and criticized the UAE's position on the issue

In fact, the Emirati authorities considered his post to be endangering and threatening the national security, compromising the public order, as well as insulting the UAE’s reputation, leaders and institutions according to the Law No. 5 of 2012 on Combating Cybercrimes.

It is worth noting that Mr. Tayseer al Najjar was arrested by the State Security Apparatus on December 13, 2015, when he was about to travel to Jordan for vacation. He was then forcibly disappeared for a three months’ period, during which his whereabouts remained unknown. In addition, he was deprived of access to a lawyer and family visits.

Mr. Tayseer al Najjar’s wife, Ms. Majida Al-Hourani, went to the Embassy of Jordan in Abu Dhabi seeking for help. However, they refused her request of appointing a legal counsel for her husband under the claim that they could not do so. Moreover, they did not even intervene with the UAE authorities to disclose Mr. Tayseer al Najjar’s whereabouts. Furthermore, the Emirati officials also prevented Jordanian lawyer Mr. Faisal al-Khuzai, a delegate from the Jordanian Bar Association, from meeting and defending Mr. Tayseer al Najjar.

Moreover, Mr. Tayseer al Najjar has been detained in the Al Wathba prison, in cell number 9, where he was exposed to several human rights violations in clear breach of the Emirati Constitution, the Federal Law No.43 of 1992 on Regulating Penal Institutions and the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment.

The International Centre for Justice and Human Rights (ICJHR) highly condemns this precarious situation and the violation of Mr. Tayseer al Najjar’s personal safety and physical integrity by the UAE government and the State Security Apparatus, as well as his right to freedom of expression and his right to a fair trial that guarantees his right to self-defense.

Source: http://ic4jhr.com/en/2014-11-30-18-36-45/media/626-uae-the-uae-prosecute...