Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken Should Be Released Without Delay
On 17th July 2022, Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken completes his 10-year prison sentence he received over his legal assistance to victims of human rights violations in the United Arab Emirates.
Dr. Al-Roken was arrested on 17th July 2012. He was held an undisclosed location for 8 months, without access to his lawyer and his family.
On 2nd July 2013, the Federal Supreme Court convicted and sentenced Dr. Al-Roken to a 10-year prison sentence for signing – along with 132 other people – an online petition calling for political reform.
He was convicted and sentenced following a grossly unfair mass trial of 94 people (known as the “UAE 94” trial) including human rights lawyers, judges and student activists.
Dr. Al-Roken is well-known for defending victims of human rights violations in the UAE. He defended some members of the “UAE 5”, five individuals sentenced to two to three years’ imprisonment in 2012 for having expressed criticism of government policies.
In recognition of his courageous human rights work, Dr. Al-Roken was shortlisted as a finalist for the 2017 Lawyers for Lawyers Award.
As his 10-year-sentence has come to an end, we call on the UAE authorities to immediately and unconditionally release Dr. Mohammed Al-Roken without delay.
