Eight Years On, the ‘UAE 94’ Remain Unjustly Imprisoned in the UAE
This month marks eight years since the conclusion of the UAE 94 trial, the result of 94 political activists urging for democratic reform in their country. Petitioners included human rights activists as well as lawyers, judges, students and academics.
The grossly unfair mass trial saw a total of 94 individuals charged with “plotting to overthrow the government”, with the 69 convicted receiving prison sentences varying from 7-15 years. Of these prisoners, four currently remain detained even after finishing their original seven-year sentences, raising concerns regarding indefinite detention in the Emirati justice system.
The nature of the trial was grossly unfair. Amnesty International reported that “the UAE 94 trial failed to meet international fair trial standards” and it was widely condemned by human rights organisations and UN human rights bodies. One of the reasons being that evidence used in court was based upon self-incriminating confessions which defendants said they were forced to make under threats of violence during their pre-trial secret detention. However, the court failed to carry out independent investigations and ignored all claims of torture during the secret detention period.
Suspicion around the trial was also raised because defendants were denied their right to gain full access to lawyers. This was heightened by the fact that international media, journalists and independent observers were denied access to the court hearings. The UAE authorities also refrained some of the defendants’ family members from entering the courtroom, as well as arresting some of them for criticising the unfair nature of the trial on social media platforms, publicising defendants’ claims of ill-treatment and torture during their secret detention.
To this day, all but two who were convicted at the UAE94 trial remain imprisoned and are subjected to cruel conditions. Many are held in the notoriously harsh Al-Razeen prison in Abu Dhabi. Throughout their detention prisoners have repeatedly made allegations of torture and ill-treatment against the Emirati authorities.
The case of Mohammed al-Roken sheds light on the harrowing realities of many of these prisoners of conscience, who today, are still suffering the consequences of their peaceful activism. A prominent human rights lawyer, al-Roken, who was arrested on 17 July 2012, was one of the UAE 94 sentenced to 10 years in prison. During his detention he has faced prolonged periods of solitary confinement and sleep deprivation, as well as music torture. As the 9th anniversary of his detention approaches, human rights organisations, including ICFUAE, call for his immediate and unconditional release.
