Press Invitation: Free Ahmed Mansoor Demonstration

Press Invitation: Free Ahmed Mansoor Demonstration

To mark the one-year anniversary of Ahmed Mansoor’s arbitrary detention, ICFUAE will be holding a candlelight vigil outside the UAE embassy in London this evening at 5:30pm. As well as calling for his immediate and unconditional release, human rights campaigners will also be reciting some of the poetry Mansoor wrote prior to his detention. 

On 20th March 2017 12 security officials entered human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor's home in the middle of the night and took him away to an undisclosed location. Since then he has been permitted two short, supervised family visits and has not had access to a lawyer.

The authorities issued a statement saying he had been arrested for using his social media accounts to “publish false information that damages the country’s reputation” and to “spread hatred and sectarianism”.

Ahmed Mansoor is a renowned human rights defender, who was awarded the Martin Ennals award (known as the Nobel Prize for human rights defenders) in 2015, for his outstanding and brave work in advocating human rights in the UAE. Before his arrest Mansoor was the last voice speaking out about human rights violations in the UAE and faced constant harassment from the authorities. He was intimidated, physically assaulted, had a travel ban, and was placed under physical and electronic surveillance.

1 year later Ahmed Mansoor has still not been released, nor granted his basic rights as a prisoner, such as regular family visits and access to a lawyer.

Join ICFUAE in calling for his immediate and unconditional release! 

We will be gathering outside the UAE embassy in London this evening at 5:30pm. 

UAE Embassy: 1-2 Grosvenor Cres, Belgravia, London SW1X 7EE

Closest Tube: Hyde Park Corner

Tags: #FreeAhmed

 

Join our campaign and sign up to get involved: media@icfuae.org.uk