UAE: Repeated Abuses against Detainees in al-Rezin Prison

Families of prisoners of conscience in UAE were subject to mistreatment and humiliation as well as rights violation during their visit to the prisoners, at Al Rezin prison on Tuesday, May 17, 2016. Indeed, children and women were deliberately left at the outer gate of the prison for more than an hour under the burning sun and were searched in a humiliating and undignified way. They have been waiting for a long time and staying for more than half an hour in the visiting room before meeting the prisoners, without any other justification but imposing systematic restrictions on the families.

Rezin prison violations also targeted prisoners of conscience. In fact, a police officer named Ahmed Abdullah, together with more than thirty guards, chained the prisoners’ hands and legs from behind and made them with their hands bound, in the prison yard at noon under the scorching sun, which hurt and harmed them with marks in their hands and legs. Afterwards, he searched the luggage of the detainees, accompanied by the rest of the guards, and purposely started to scatter the prisoners’ luggage, throw chairs, and squeeze shampoo and toothpaste on room floors in front of them.

After these incessant violations of the detainees and prisoners of conscience’s rights at Al Resin prison in UAE, the International Centre for Justice and Human Rights therefore highlights the following points:

The ICJHR highly denounces the continuous human rights’ violations at Al Resin prison, and the indifference of Emirati authorities towards what has been monitored by the ICJHR and by many international organizations regarding the mistreatment and the insult that families, women and children were subject to when visiting their relatives.
Emirati and Al Rezin authorities breach to human rights provisions of the international covenants and the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment, especially after prisoners of conscience have been torturedand mistreated by the police officer, Ahmed Abdullah and many others, chaining them from behind for revenge, which caused the detainees pain, physical and psychological suffering.
The Centre condemns the deprivation of prisoners of conscience and victims of torture and ill-treatment from the right to complain to judiciary and against the prison authorities responsible for detention places against the abusers and the violators of their rights.
The Centre expresses deep resentment over denying prisoners of conscience the right to get a treatment and a medical examination to prove what they have been subject to.
Therefore, the International Centre for Justice and Human Rights urges the authorities of the United Arab Emirates to:

Quickly react in order to stop violations against families and detainees at Al Resin prison which affected their dignity and humanity.
Open an independent and impartial investigation concerning complaints of families and prisoners of conscience against Al Resin prison.
Open a serious investigation against the police officer Ahmed Abdullah who has committed torture and mistreatment crimes against the prisoners.
Open all prisons and detention centers, including Al Resin prison, before an international body in order to preview the detention conditions and see their conformity with the Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment or international standards.
Immediately release all prisoners of conscience in the United Arab Emirates.
Respect the Convention Against Torture that UAE had accepted and ratified