Open letter calling for the release of all political prisoners ahead of Eid al-Fitr
Prime Minister’s Office
PO Box 212000
Dubai, UAE
28 April 2021
RE Eid al-Fitr Pardon of Political Prisoners
Your Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Your Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum,
We, the International Campaign for Freedom in the United Arab Emirates (ICFUAE), are writing to you regarding the annual traditional pardon of prisoners at the beginning of Eid al-Fitr. As the President and Vice-President of the UAE, you are in a position of power to dictate which prisoners are released in accordance with the pardon. Eid al-Fitr is a time of celebration to be with one’s family. As such, we call on you to immediately and unconditionally release all political prisoners as part of the pardon for the upcoming Eid al-Fitr festivities.
At the moment, there are countless prisoners of conscience imprisoned throughout the UAE. For example, Emirati human rights defender and lawyer, Mohammed Al-Roken, is currently serving out a ten-year imprisonment sentence in al-Razeen prison. He was charged for being a member of the ‘UAE 94’ for peacefully seeking gradual democratic reform within the UAE. Al-Roken has been subjected to torture and solitary confinement since his arbitrary arrest and therefore is a perfect candidate for the 2021 Eid al-Fitr pardon.
Additionally, prominent human rights defender, Ahmed Mansoor, remains in solitary confinement in al-Sadr prison. He was unjustly charged in 2017 for ‘defaming the UAE through social media channels’ for his criticism of rights violations in Egypt and Yemen, as well for his criticism of the UAE’s prosecutions of other activists. Mansoor’s peaceful activism has indicated no threat to society and as such, he should also be pardoned in accordance with Eid al-Fitr in May 2021.
Dr Nasser bin Ghaith is another political prisoner who should be included in the pardon. An Emirati economist and professor, bin Ghaith was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment for his peaceful and legitimate human rights work. He has been subjected to torture and ill-treatment while in al-Sadr and al-Razeen prison since his arrest in 2017. In February 2021, Mary Lawlor, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on the Situation of Human Rights Defenders urged for the release of bin Ghaith, along with Ahmed Mansoor and Mohamed Al-Roken. Accordingly, we at ICFUAE ask for a pardon to release all three of these political prisoners for Eid.
In addition to these activists, the UAE currently holds a total of nine prisoners, including two women, in indefinite detention. Indefinite detention is the practice of unjustly holding prisoners beyond their official release dates without a clear legal basis. The Emirati authorities detain seven of these political prisoners in Munasaha Centres, or ‘counselling centres’, while the two women remain in the same prison they served their original sentences.
The practice of indefinite definition was condemned by a coalition of UN Special Procedures mandate holders in November 2020. It violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) and the Arab Charter on Human Rights (ACHR). These nine individuals held indefinitely were imprisoned for their rightful and peaceful human rights work. Therefore, similar to Ahmed Mansoor, Nasser bin Ghaith and Mohamed Al-Roken, the nine political prisoners show no real threat to the UAE and should not remain detained.
Eid al-Fitr is a time of festivities to spend with loved ones, however, dozens of Emirati political prisoners are denied the joys of such celebrations. In consideration of the above, ICFUAE asks you for the immediate and unconditional release of these specific prisoners of conscience, as well as all political prisoners, as part of the Eid al-Fitr pardon.
Yours sincerely,
The International Campaign for Freedom in the United Arab Emirates
