European Parliament Adopts Resolution Condemning UAE Human Rights Abuses
On 16 September, the European Parliament adopted a groundbreaking resolution on the United Arab Emirates (UAE), condemning the Emirati authorities’ widespread and systematic human rights abuses.
Yesterday’s vote called for the immediate and unconditional release of Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith and Mohammed al-Roken as well as for the accountability of those responsible for the ongoing human rights crises through the newly introduced EU Global Human Rights Sanctions Regime.
The EU reiterated its 2018 resolution calling for the immediate and unconditional release of Emirati human rights activist Ahmed Mansoor, saying that "[t]he UAE authorities have violated Ahmed Mansoor's rights for more than 10 years with arbitrary arrest and detention, death threats, physical assault, government surveillance and inhumane treatment in custody". Citing a UN report, it also mentioned that Mansoor is likely to have been subjected to torture.
On top of this, the resolution clearly dismisses the UAE authorities’ justification for the prosecution of the prominent activist. Ahmed Mansoor, it was pointed out, "called for universal and direct elections in the UAE and for the Federal National Council, a government advisory board, to be granted legislative powers; whereas he also administered an online forum called Al-Hiwar al-Emarati (the Emirati Dialogue) which criticised UAE policies."
More broadly, the wider crackdown on freedom of speech and civil society, which has been intensified since the Arab Spring in 2011, was criticized. "There is systematic persecution of human rights defenders, journalists, lawyers and teachers speaking up on political and human rights issues in the UAE."
"Human rights defenders and members of their families are subjected to forced disappearances, prolonged arbitrary detention, torture, judicial harassment and unfair trials, travel bans, physical and digital surveillance, and arbitrary dismissal from work." In line with this the resolution also calls for the release of Nasser bin Ghaith and Mohammed al-Roken, an economist and a human rights lawyer respectively.
In terms of bilateral trade and diplomacy, the resolution makes several policy recommendations, including regarding the withdrawal of Member States and companies from the upcoming Dubai Expo as well as the suspension of the sale and export of surveillance technology to the Gulf state.
The resolution called on EU member states to take the UAE’s human rights record into account – specifically calling for an EU-wide ban on the export, sale and maintenance of any form of security equipment to the UAE, including internet surveillance technology, which is being used for internal repression.
In recent years, Germany, France and the UK have exported spyware to the UAE, which the Emirati regime have used to clamp down heavily on freedom of speech and assembly within their borders.
ICFUAE statement:
“ICFUAE welcomes the European Parliament’s resolution on the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This resolution is an important step toward holding the UAE government accountable for its ongoing systematic human rights violations against its own citizens and its utter disregard to international law.
ICFUAE has consistently highlighted the UAE authorities’ widespread and systematic human rights abuses and has actively lobbied EU member states and European institutions to take a decisive step in the form of a resolution to start holding the UAE accountable for its actions.
The UAE has over the past years adopted a wide spectrum of tactics to whitewash and conceal its abhorrent human rights record. The latest of these is the Dubai Expo 2020. The European Parliament’s call on member states and companies to withdraw from the event, is an important step towards accountability of those responsible for the ongoing human rights crises in the country and, as such, justice for its victims.”
