Ninth Anniversary of Mohammed Al-Roken’s Imprisonment 

17 July 2021 marks nine years since the detention of Mohammed Al-Roken, a prominent Emirati lawyer and human rights defender. Al-Roken remains in al-Razeen prison, Abu Dhabi where he will carry out the remaining year of his ten-year sentence. 

Prior to his arrest, Mohammed Al-Roken regularly provided legal assistance to detained activists who defended human rights and fundamental freedoms. Most notably, he represented the ‘UAE 5’ in 2011, despite being subjected to intimidation and harassment by the UAE government. The authorities threatened to debar him and later prevented him from giving interviews to the media and writing in national newspapers. In essence, Al-Roken became victim to an intimidation and smear campaign. 

On 17 July 2012, the UAE authorities arrested Al-Roken while he was travelling to a police station to report the disappearance of his son and son-in-law. He was subjected to enforced disappearance in an undisclosed location for the first three months after his arrest. 

He was eventually charged with plotting to overthrow the government alongside other political dissidents in the famous ‘UAE94’ trial, which began in March 2013. This allegation was based on a petition he signed in March 2011 that demanded the president of the UAE, Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, bring about political reforms that promote democracy. The petition also called for a new legislative body in the government with supervisory powers.  

During the trial, his rights to due process and a fair trial were violated as he was denied legal representation and access to court documents until the second hearing. On 2 July 2013, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment with three additional years of probation. Following the trial, Al-Roken was put in Al-Wathba prison but later transferred to Al-Razeen where he remains today. 

While imprisoned, Al-Roken has complained to his lawyers of being subjected to various forms of physical and psychological torture. For example, prison wardens constantly light his cell, depriving him of sleep over long periods of time, a practice, which amounts to torture. 

The arrest and imprisonment of the prominent human rights lawyer have caused a severe backlash from the international community. Just after the sentencing, in November 2013, a group of UN Special Rapporteurs and Working Groups issued an opinion condemning the UAE94 trial, specifically mentioning Al-Roken for his human rights accomplishments and condemning his arrest. More recently in February 2021, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders called for Al-Roken’s release and denounced his unjust long-term imprisonment. 

Although Mohammed Al-Roken is due to be released in a year, his freedom is not guaranteed as the UAE authorities systematically use the practice of indefinite detention to suppress the voices of those brave enough to speak out against injustice. The Emirati government keeps at least nine prisoners beyond their release dates, four of which are members of the UAE 94.

Consequently, there are reasons to fear that he might not be released in July 2022. Instead, he may be indefinitely detained in a Munasaha Centre, or ‘counselling centre’ where prisoners are transferred to upon completion of their sentences. The Emirati government justifies this extension of detention under the pretence that these prisoners ‘pose a terrorist threat’. In reality, these prisoners of conscience pose no threat to state security and Al-Roken is no exception.